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If Gates were at the helm maybe this would be possible. With Ballmer I'm afraid it will be the same old same old.

I haven't used Office in four years at our business. While iWork isn't perfect, it works for us. Being Windows-free allows us to save money, save time and keep our clients happy.

The only change needed at MSFT is in the CEO suite.

This idea that every popular application ever made must be on tablets is crazy IMO. Office applications are workflow that involve heavy amounts of typing and mouse movements to create the documents you need; they are not well suited to tablets. And that goes for Apple's productivity apps as well. Doing a spreadsheet or designing a presentation on a tablet is going to make you LESS productive, not more productive. For word processing or writing tasks, tablets are best utilized for short form documents like emails or Twitter, not for writing multi-page documents.

People have become completely obsessed with doing everything on their tablets or phones and it doesn't make any sense in many cases. In this case the function of the device should follow its form. I'm sure MS will follow the type of advice found in this column and try to "mobilize" office but it's pretty comical IMO. I'm going to enjoy sitting on the train watching buffoons try to create pivot-tables and 10 page documents on their iPad or Android tablet. Good entertainment.

Photonerd, on 16 July 2012 - 05:08 AM, said:

I could not agree more!!

On 2 occasions, salesmen have come into my workplace and were surprised to see me on my laptop instead of my iPad. As I explained to them, the page layout work I was doing in a document would be very frustrating to do on a tablet. I use my tablet the majority of the time, but there are some tasks that just plain go faster and easier on a laptop or desktop.

One interface suggestion that would go a long way in iOS would be to give the keyboard arrow keys. Splashtop has them. One of my biggest headaches on the iPad is trying to get the cursor in the exact spot I want it when editing text. It would be great to tap an arrow key and make it move a position or two.

The iPad is great for ultimate portability. I have Pages on it, but rarely use it. I go to it in a pinch, but prefer to do serious docs on my MBP.

One last thought: Apple needs to create a SERIOUS Keynote controller app for the iPad. Using the iPhone version is pathetic. I put too many complex animations in my Keynote presentations to run them from my iPad. Give me better control from iPad. The screen is big enough. I want to see the next slide AND my notes, thank you.

"Above all, Microsoft must emphasize ease of use and avoid the shock many long-time users got when Office 2010 came out and they found that the placement of menus and commands had been significantly altered."

Fortunately for Mac Users Office 2011 has the traditional menu interface AND the ribbon interface. I have to use Office 2007 at work and have to look up on the Web how to do things that I previously knew with the traditional menu. Office 2011 on the Mac is great - good combo of traditional menu and the new ribbon interface.

I don't think Office 2010 was a major jolt to Office 2007 users. Instead, the biggest backlash was in response to Office 2007, which introduced the Ribbon and radically altered the user interface.

On the whole, though, I think this article is on point. It would be smart of Microsoft to release Office 2013 for iOS, but I don't see that happening. They want to promote Windows 8 and Windows RT, and will try to use Office exclusivity as a lure.

“In the last version of Office, Microsoft swapped the gas pedal and the BREAK pedal,” said analyst Rebecca Wettemann of Nucleus Research.

Freudian slip?

Microsoft has not the corporate culture which is required for a success in the IT markets of the 21st century. The fish stinks from the head down.

We Mac users laugh at or yell at analysts who make stupid claims as to what Apple should do to stay on top or move forward, etc. They are mostly wrong or misguided. I wonder whether they are any more accurate with their "advice" for Microsoft.

Photonerd, on 16 July 2012 - 05:08 AM, said:

You miss the point(s).

The first, not much related is that tablets bring people a new level of portability and usability that they haven't before. The iPad is much easier to use for regular people than a computer, and it is much more portable than even a laptop. People want the ease of use and portability to access the information they need at work. So yes, there should be an iPad version of Office - it doesn't have to have every last feature that the desktop version does - but it should maintain file compatibility and give people 90% of what they use. Of course people shouldn't use it while sitting at a desk, but what if they meet a colleague while on break, after work, or somewhere where they can't sit down, get out the laptop, and enter information. Being able to access work data anywhere is huge.

Now the Office-specific point here is that people often use Office as a "catch-all" for all of their data. They put even the shortest instruction list into a Word document instead of plain text. They use Excel for a database because custom databases are hard to make. I've even seen people compose their email in MS Word and then just email the attachment. Having access to data that should have been elsewhere is another reason to have Office running everywhere.

IMHO, MS should be focusing far more on Office being everywhere than Windows.

tfmeehan, on 16 July 2012 - 06:53 AM, said:

My thoughts exactly.

"Must", "needs to", if this was an article about Apple a lot of us would be thinking/saying/writing/yelling, "where does this guys get off telling...."
I think the same should be said for this article about MS, maybe he needs to use "Should" "might be better served" after all it is an opinion piece, not a paid for assessment of ways to improve....or maybe it is, who knows!