OK, here’s something new I thought you might like to know about. Last week, Microsoft added their flagship Office apps to the App Store for iPad users to download. And better yet, they’re all ‘free’ – or are they? Just look at this – Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint (free, free, free). How cool is that?
But why would they do this now when they’re having so much trouble getting their own Microsoft Surface to take off. There must be a catch, and there is. Read on.
My conspiracy theory:
For a while now, Microsoft has been trying to get you to ‘rent‘ their Office software versus buying a license outright, like we did in the good old days. Reading the fine print before downloading these new Office apps will provide some revelations that will make you think twice. Most important is that the ‘free’ software you’re about to download if only useful to read Microsoft formatted documents, not create or edit them. If you want to do that, you’ll need to purchase the full Office 365 suite for about $70 from Amazon for a 1 year subscription (home user), or 4 year subscription (student) – more if you buy it from the Microsoft store.
Maybe you’re getting the sense, and rightly so, that Microsoft’s Office Apps for the iPad is a great big marketing gimmick to get you to rent their full-featured application. Now you understand. That’s exactly what it is. Nobody ever accused Microsoft of being stupid – devious yes, but not stupid. BUT, when you read my Office 365 review, you’ll also see that I’m a fan! It’s a great product and I think the price is very fair. However, upselling you into it by pretending that Office Apps for the iPad is something it’s not just bothers me. It should be clear what iPad users are getting and its not.
As far as the iPad is concerned, might I encourage you to save your money (unless of course you already have Office 365) and download Google’s own QuickOffice Pro for free that lets you view, create, and edit Microsoft format Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents on the iPad. In fact, that’s the app I’m using right now to write this post. And if QuickOffice doesn’t float your boat, then consider accessing Microsoft’s own Office Web Apps via your Outlook.com account (https://onedrive.live.com) in the Safari or Chrome browser on your iPad. These all work great and (really) are ‘free’!
Like so many others that are writing about Microsoft’s Office Apps for iPad, it seems like too little too late:
Is Microsoft Office for iPad too little too late?
A closer look at Microsoft’s new Office for iPad: Too little, too late
Microsoft Office on iPad: too little, too late?
Office for iPad: Has Microsoft Waited Too Long?
and they go on and on…
Four years ago this might have been interesting and relevant, but others filled the void in the meantime, and Microsoft’s up-sell approach to offering a dumbed-down version of the product to get you to buy Office 365 just isn’t going to resonate with many iPad users – that’s what I think. I purchased QuickOffice Pro HD from the App Store long before Google acquired it and now offers it for free to iPad, Android, and ChromeBook users. The product works well so I’m sticking with it and think you should at least consider it before paying the Microsoft tax once again. If you already rent Office 365, then go for it. But if you have no need for Office 365 beyond your iPad, save your money – don’t download Office for iPad.
