Microsoft Office Mobile arrives for iOS

Microsoft is clearly aware that most people with a tablet already have something by Apple or an Android device and that trying to use Office to sell them a Windows RT device isn't going to work.

However enticing organizations to "upgrade" to Office 365 (which comes with a regular subscription fee and better long term profits) to get a version for the tablet they already have might actually move some 365-licenses.

I say they are making the best of the situation.

Re: Microsoft Office Mobile arrives for iOS

#6

Post by nwh » Fri, Jun 14, 2013, 1:24 PM UTC

I struggle with the move towards everything being subscription based. Very quickly it becomes difficult to quantify just how much it is costing to own, and maintain ownership of a license for a piece of software.

If I see an application that is $50, I can quickly quantify that into hours I need to work for this to be paid off. I can compare the value I am getting to the amount of currency that I expend on it. I know that if I need to in the future, it will always be there for me to rely on.

If I see a service that is $12 a month it becomes a much harder game. Sure it might be worth it for the first month, but the second one becomes a much harder decision. Do I unsubscribe, and lose all the data that I have stores, or do I pay another $12 and hope that it continues to be useful to me in the future? In the future I might need to sign up again, which is a lot more hassle than it is worth.

All of these "small" subscriptions are beginning to cost me more than I'd like.

Re: Microsoft Office Mobile arrives for iOS

#7

Post by xaritas » Fri, Jun 14, 2013, 1:30 PM UTC

sidcool wrote: post #3

Highly editorialized title. It was quite an expected move.

It's an allusion to Steve Jobs' somewhat notorious "hell froze over" introduction to iTunes for Windows, from 10 years ago (... wow). This was also a widely anticipated introduction but it still seemed a little subversive.

http://news.cnet.com/Apple-launches-iTunes-for-Windows/2100-...

Re: Microsoft Office Mobile arrives for iOS

#8

Post by bornhuetter » Fri, Jun 14, 2013, 1:32 PM UTC

nwh wrote: post #6

I struggle with the move towards everything being subscription based. Very quickly it becomes difficult to quantify just how much it is costing to own, and maintain ownership of a license for a piece of software. If I see an application that is $50, I can quickly quantify that into hours I need to work for this to be paid off. I can compare the value I am getting to the amount of currency that I expend on it. I know…

That's one of the reasons why companies love them. People subscribe for a few months, stop using it as much but forget or don't bother to unsubscribe. The entire gym industry is based on this principle.

Re: Microsoft Office Mobile arrives for iOS

#9

Post by mikek » Fri, Jun 14, 2013, 1:33 PM UTC

The pricing makes sense. But not from the perspective of what's best for Office. It makes sense in that Microsoft doesn't want Apple to take a 30% cut.

Re: Microsoft Office Mobile arrives for iOS

#10

Post by bornhuetter » Fri, Jun 14, 2013, 1:34 PM UTC

If only Microsoft released Office for Linux and Apple let OSX run (in a VM or otherwise) on non-Apple hardware the world would be a much better place.