• Microsoft Continues to Lose Customers because of its Delayed iOS Release

    by
    Akshay Masand
    Published on 2014-03-15 08:08 AM
    16 Comments Comments


    According to a new report from Reuters, Microsoft has a complete version of Office ready to be released for the iPhone and iPads. It is reported that as soon as CEO Satya Nadella picks a launch date, the software will be ready to go. As of right now, there is a lack of Office software on Apple devices and it seems like it is becoming a big issue for Microsoft.

    Since Microsoft Office is not available for iOS platforms, many users are turning to other simpler apps instead. As a result, Microsoft is losing a whole generation of users since Apple's devices are becoming increasingly popular. The company is losing almost $2.5 billion a year avoiding Office for the iPad, according to an analyst estimate. Companies are switching from Office suite on computers to a software that is cheaper, easier to use, and touch friendly due to Microsoft not bringing its software to Apple devices.

    Reported by Reuters, a New York based financial services startup, Artivest Holdings, is already one example of a company beginning to replace Microsoft. Instead, the company is using Quip, a free and easy to use word processor that lets users create documents and send messages on any platform including the desktop, iPhone, and iPad. "There are no more Microsoft Word documents being circulated. If someone emails me a Word document, I'll tell them to put it in Quip," claims Artivest Chief Investment Officer, David Levine.

    However, because of the increased popularity of Apple devices and the slew of Office-style apps available for download in the app store, Microsoft has been motivated to increase its deployment efforts. They are hoping to regain and win back some of their old customers.

    According to some people close to the Microsoft company,

    The speed with which apps like Quip have been adopted is forcing Microsoft to intensify its efforts to bring the powerful but ageing Office software suite to tablets and smartphones.
    John Case, top Office marketing executive claims,

    We have some pretty exciting plans. Certainly, interest in Office on the iPad is extreme. When they (customers) want to do real work, they are going to want to use Office.
    Rumors have it that a version of Office for Apple’s iPad will be available soon, although it is unclear when that will be. Microsoft will also be updating a version of Office for the Mac, which should be released sometime later this year.

    Source: Reuters
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Microsoft Continues to Lose Customers because of its Delayed iOS Release started by Akshay Masand View original post
    1. Categories:
    2. iPhone,
    3. iOS,
    4. Apple,
    5. Mac,
    6. iPad
    Comments 16 Comments
    1. Christophxr's Avatar
      Christophxr - 2014-03-15, 08:26 AM
      Only good decisions Microsoft have made lately:
      X-Box
      Windows 7
      X-Box 360

      Depressing list.
    1. DarkoNova's Avatar
      DarkoNova - 2014-03-15, 09:31 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by Christophxr View Post
      Only good decisions Microsoft have made lately:
      X-Box
      Windows 7
      X-Box 360
      X-Box One

      Depressing list.
      The xbone was a good decision? Not according to literally everyone else lol.
    1. Trevorhor's Avatar
      Trevorhor - 2014-03-15, 11:24 AM
      Office is a sort of Frankenstein monster - powerful but feels thrown together and always breaking things. Amazing how kludgy it is after 30 years. Sometimes advertised features work. Sometimes they don't. For the premium price MS charges, there should be a commitment to intuitive design and reliability but in practice MS is very deliberate and slow to act. In our department, people mostly use Google Docs, which is limited but free or cheap. Its collaborative functions are easier than Office. People write memos and emails on their ipads or phones for the most part and compatibility has not been an issue. Text is mostly text. If it needs to stay in a format, it can be sent as a PDF or designed in an Adobe product. We have an old desktop with Office 2003 on it and it is a lonely sight. At this point its a fall-back, if we have a client that is wedded to 20th century technology but I can't remember the last time that happened. No one really wants to learn another text editor just in case people send an old document and in the unlikely event that Google Docs can't open it. In 2014, what's the point of using MS Office? You can't take it with you and even in the workplace its largely redundant or irrelevant. Who is still buying the large site licenses? Seems like most people we work with have moved on.
    1. holyshnikes's Avatar
      holyshnikes - 2014-03-15, 12:11 PM
      Microsoft continues to be late in the game. This is what is hurting them the most!!
    1. c1972798's Avatar
      c1972798 - 2014-03-15, 05:23 PM
      Good decisions?? LOL. Xboned is the stupidest decision they've done since Windows 8.
      The best decisions were Xbox360 and Windows 7. Yea, xbox started it off so that can also be a good decision.

      But the title is all wrong. How can they loose customers for something thats not even talked about or released or anything? Your just speculating they might loose customers but they aren't They are actually making more customers as if someone wants to run Office they have to buy a Windows version that runs it and they have to buy Office itself which will cost them a few hundred dollars. Now if they released Office for iPad what would that cost? $10 maybe? They will make a lot less money if they did that.

      And if someone wanted to run Office on a tablet they would sell their iPad and buy a Windows Tablet again making M$ lots of money.
      The only people losing are crApple and M$ dont care about them.
    1. jose060789's Avatar
      jose060789 - 2014-03-15, 05:25 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Christophxr View Post
      Only good decisions Microsoft have made lately:
      X-Box
      Windows 7
      X-Box 360
      X-Box One

      Depressing list.
      You must be on crack if you think the Xbox One was one of Micro$h!t$ good decisions.
      More like Xbox dOne.
    1. SpiderManAPV's Avatar
      SpiderManAPV - 2014-03-15, 05:27 PM
      Digging the Office 2007 on an iPad picture :P
    1. Christophxr's Avatar
      Christophxr - 2014-03-15, 05:36 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by DarkoNova View Post
      The xbone was a good decision? Not according to literally everyone else lol.
      Lmao. Good point. I have updated my list. =p
    1. Striknine's Avatar
      Striknine - 2014-03-15, 09:41 PM
      The reason I got rid of my iPad and went with a Surface Pro was because it ran Office 2013. I meet with a few clients who bring their iPad with them to send emails, show photos, browse, etc. Once they see the surface running Office they are ready to jump ship. The iPad is a media consumption device and always will be. Sure, you do have your tech savvy people that find a way to use it for business, otherwise most people use it to waste time.
      Microsoft knows what they are doing. Its easy to say on an Apple fan forum how much of a failure Microsoft is. You start a company and offer what they do and make the amount of money they do, then you can talk BS about them. Until then keep playing games on your media consumption device. Most likely you will never make it to the REAL business world to understand the iPad doesn't get REAL work done.
      MS Office is a powerful tool and most likely will never make it to the iPad. If it did it would have to be watered down to the point that it becomes "Pages, Keynote, and Numbers". How many offices around the globe use those for business? If I were Microsoft I would only keep Office on Windows Platform Devices. They don't need Apple to sell software for them. Its already the best office environment software in the world. It sells itself.
    1. rockyseay's Avatar
      rockyseay - 2014-03-15, 11:27 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Christophxr View Post
      Only good decisions Microsoft have made lately:
      X-Box
      Windows 7
      X-Box 360

      Depressing list.
      Why would you let some nerds on a site push you to edit your comment. Have a backbone
    1. pulsecub's Avatar
      pulsecub - 2014-03-16, 06:04 AM
      It's so funny to see all the Microsoft bashing right now. So many people have forgotten had is not been for Microsoft, Apple would not be where it is today. When they do release Office for the iPad, it'll be a huge seller, and whatever "damage" the so-called "analysts" are prognosticating now, will be denied by these self-same "analysts" as a mis-reading of conditions.

      This is nothing more than spin-control, pure and simple, and the Office bashing is simply nervous tittering.

      C'mon guys n' gals, there is no "us" vs "them." Never was, and never will be.
    1. AKCHRIS's Avatar
      AKCHRIS - 2014-03-16, 10:29 AM
      Good decisions -->Window's XP Xbox360 & Xbox One. Microsoft hasn't been Microsoft since XP & I don't particularly care much for Microsoft Office when there's a Host of other Suites out there like-> QuickOffice,Pages.
    1. ecofrankenstein's Avatar
      ecofrankenstein - 2014-03-16, 04:40 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Striknine View Post
      The reason I got rid of my iPad and went with a Surface Pro was because it ran Office 2013. I meet with a few clients who bring their iPad with them to send emails, show photos, browse, etc. Once they see the surface running Office they are ready to jump ship. The iPad is a media consumption device and always will be. Sure, you do have your tech savvy people that find a way to use it for business, otherwise most people use it to waste time.
      Microsoft knows what they are doing. Its easy to say on an Apple fan forum how much of a failure Microsoft is. You start a company and offer what they do and make the amount of money they do, then you can talk BS about them. Until then keep playing games on your media consumption device. Most likely you will never make it to the REAL business world to understand the iPad doesn't get REAL work done.
      MS Office is a powerful tool and most likely will never make it to the iPad. If it did it would have to be watered down to the point that it becomes "Pages, Keynote, and Numbers". How many offices around the globe use those for business? If I were Microsoft I would only keep Office on Windows Platform Devices. They don't need Apple to sell software for them. Its already the best office environment software in the world. It sells itself.
      You're talking of the old way "business" was done. Nowadays, work is done through the fastest tech, because we want it done the fast way possible. Why be tied to your desk all day just to use Office? We run in fast paced world, I don't have time for Office or anything Windows-related to malfunction and waste my time. I run my entire business through my iDevices because I'm on the go. I want to create something quickly on my iPhone and be able to send it to another department's iPad or iMac without wasting time. If I want to turn on something and know that it's going to work correctly and right away, I always choose Apple. It's not to bash on Microsoft, it's just the truth.
    1. WHUDS's Avatar
      WHUDS - 2014-03-17, 05:51 AM
      Hmm

      Apple = one computer and they stopped clones so only Apple hardware runs OSX


      Microsoft = choice, freedom, customization, larger software choice and lowered cost.

      I currently use Win 7
      yes I hate Win 8 as much as Vista

      Win 2000 was a breakthrough

      as Win 7

      My wife loves her touch laptop

      Tablets are still not as good for:
      editing Pictures
      Office productivity
      Web design
      Photoshop
      Database work

      Tablets are good for
      readers
      email
      some surfing
      looking at pictures
      reading office documents ( not writing them)
    1. bigboyz's Avatar
      bigboyz - 2014-03-17, 02:53 PM
      Competition brings out the best in companies. WE need both companies. They are both still alive and relevant. One would not be where it is without the other. We all know what both platforms bring to the table. Its a choice in the end..not a superiority debate.
    1. Perceptum's Avatar
      Perceptum - 2014-03-19, 08:44 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by ecofrankenstein View Post
      You're talking of the old way "business" was done. Nowadays, work is done through the fastest tech, because we want it done the fast way possible. Why be tied to your desk all day just to use Office? We run in fast paced world, I don't have time for Office or anything Windows-related to malfunction and waste my time. I run my entire business through my iDevices because I'm on the go. I want to create something quickly on my iPhone and be able to send it to another department's iPad or iMac without wasting time. If I want to turn on something and know that it's going to work correctly and right away, I always choose Apple. It's not to bash on Microsoft, it's just the truth.
      You realize that the Surface Pro is a tablet and not "tied to your desk all day". Business's run MS Office because the software really helps get things done.

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