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Feenician

macrumors 603
Jun 13, 2016
5,313
5,100
You heard wrong

So I wrote this late at night and with broken AC in the Arizona heat and as a result it was more glib and dismissive than I would intend. Not a very useful post, even if some do agree with it.

Although we're an all Apple household (2 rMBPs, 2 iPad Pros, 2 iPhone 7's, 2 Watches, 3 Apple TVs) I'm very much an advocate of Microsoft Office 365 for the simple reason that is excellent software and, in my opinion, excellent value for money. A terabyte of storage each, the core suite on all our devices for $11 per month is just a plain good deal. In my opinion Office is one of the best (collection of) Apps on iOS period and the Mac version is no slouch these days either (though I'm not an Excel power user and I hear that's not quite up to snuff on the Windows versions on large sheets). It's true the web and mobile SKUs have some arbitrary limitations - it doesn't seem to be anything inherent to an iPad for instance that shouldn't allow you to be able to create a simple TOC. That is a little frustrating and I work around it by a) having template documents with the features I need and b) Not creating many documents on iOS in the first place, just using it for mobile review and editing. I wouldn't recommend for most people as the sole place to author but clearly, as we see above, it does work for some.

As for it's stability, and that of OneDrive, I've never had a single problem reading or writing both Personal and Corporate OneDrive, iCloud, or another cloud storage solution owned by the company I work for that I won't mention here. We have a space on our internal Jive specifically for Apple users in the company and, of all the challenges people might face using Apple kit in a Windows oriented company, using Office is never one of them.

I don't particularly place much stock on an unsourced "I heard on Reddit it's bad". In fact I thought it was a rule on this forum to cite your sources when you say such things.
 
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dk001

macrumors demi-god
Oct 3, 2014
11,142
15,496
Sage, Lightning, and Mountains
So I wrote this late at night and with broken AC in the Arizona heat and as a result it was more glib and dismissive than I would intend. Not a very useful post, even if some do agree with it.

Although we're an all Apple household (2 rMBPs, 2 iPad Pros, 2 iPhone 7's, 2 Watches, 3 Apple TVs) I'm very much an advocate of Microsoft Office 365 for the simple reason that is excellent software and, in my opinion, excellent value for money. A terabyte of storage each, the core suite on all our devices for $11 per month is just a plain good deal. In my opinion Office is one of the best (collection of) Apps on iOS period and the Mac version is no slouch these days either (though I'm not an Excel power user and I hear that's not quite up to snuff on the Windows versions on large sheets). It's true the web and mobile SKUs have some arbitrary limitations - it doesn't seem to be anything inherent to an iPad for instance that shouldn't allow you to be able to create a simple TOC. That is a little frustrating and I work around it by a) having template documents with the features I need and b) Not creating many documents on iOS in the first place, just using it for mobile review and editing. I wouldn't recommend for most people as the sole place to author but clearly, as we see above, it does work for some.

As for it's stability, and that of OneDrive, I've never had a single problem reading or writing both Personal and Corporate OneDrive, iCloud, or another cloud storage solution owned by the company I work for that I won't mention here. We have a space on our internal Jive specifically for Apple users in the company and, of all the challenges people might face using Apple kit in a Windows oriented company, using Office is never one of them.

I don't particularly place much stock on an unsourced "I heard on Reddit it's bad". In fact I thought it was a rule on this forum to cite your sources when you say such things.

Want to add a couple of quick points. I am familiar with the AZ "Dry" heat before I moved to the Cali beach scene. ;)

OneDrive on my iPhone 7+ and iPad Pro - although I have not lost any files, I run into infrequent instances where the files don't sync properly and others where the app crashes on OneDrive open. At times like this OneDrive will them ask me to relogin. :( Infrequent but still a pita.
 

TinaBelcher

macrumors 65816
Jul 23, 2017
1,256
747
I don't particularly place much stock on an unsourced "I heard on Reddit it's bad". In fact I thought it was a rule on this forum to cite your sources when you say such things.

I'm glad you have had a wonderful experience with OneDrive, but you are not more resourceful than any other person who has shared their experience. Reddit has a forum dedicated to Apple products too, and their opinion is just as valid.
 
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Feenician

macrumors 603
Jun 13, 2016
5,313
5,100
I'm glad you have had a wonderful experience with OneDrive, but you are not more resourceful than any other person who has shared their experience. Reddit has a forum dedicated to Apple products too, and their opinion is just as valid.

I'm aware of the subreddit you're talking about. I subscribe to it, along with /r/iOSbeta, /r/Homebridge and /r/HomeKit. The implication that you're better sourced than me is unwarranted and unfounded. I don't recall any single post citing loss of files, though I don't there is one, given that any and all software of any complexity has some bugs. I definitely don't recall any pattern of posts citing that kind of failure.
 
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richpjr

macrumors 68040
May 9, 2006
3,763
2,594
Although we're an all Apple household (2 rMBPs, 2 iPad Pros, 2 iPhone 7's, 2 Watches, 3 Apple TVs) I'm very much an advocate of Microsoft Office 365 for the simple reason that is excellent software and, in my opinion, excellent value for money. A terabyte of storage each, the core suite on all our devices for $11 per month is just a plain good deal.

I picked up a couple of 5 user Office 365 key cards on Amazon when they were on sale for $60 each to get 2 years at $5 per month for the family.
 
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Feenician

macrumors 603
Jun 13, 2016
5,313
5,100
Want to add a couple of quick points. I am familiar with the AZ "Dry" heat before I moved to the Cali beach scene. ;)

OneDrive on my iPhone 7+ and iPad Pro - although I have not lost any files, I run into infrequent instances where the files don't sync properly and others where the app crashes on OneDrive open. At times like this OneDrive will them ask me to relogin. :( Infrequent but still a pita.

Yep, I don't doubt people run into the odd bug. Absolutely. When I first started to use OneDrive some years ago the Mac OneDrive client was pretty questionable and I'd generally just the web interface. Been well behaved (except for the annoying "OneDrive cannot sync files with $/!*...." message when I have a weird filename) for a while for me though.

I picked up a couple of 5 user Office 365 key cards on Amazon when they were on sale for $60 each to get 2 years at $5 per month for the family.

I've seen those and keep meaning to pick them up. Inertia has just kept me renewing the subscription online but I really should do what you did. That's half price basically, and $60 is not be sniffed at.
 
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TinaBelcher

macrumors 65816
Jul 23, 2017
1,256
747
I'm aware of the subreddit you're talking about. I subscribe to it, along with /r/iOSbeta, /r/Homebridge and /r/HomeKit. The implication that you're better sourced than me is unwarranted and unfounded. I don't recall any single post citing loss of files, though I don't there is one, given that any and all software of any complexity has some bugs. I definitely don't recall any pattern of posts citing that kind of failure.
You just said that you're better than the Reddit user, so you do think you're a better salience than others, lol
 

richpjr

macrumors 68040
May 9, 2006
3,763
2,594
When I see them again ... :D

I got them on a Black Friday sale two years ago, so I'll have my eyes open again this year as my subscription runs out at the end of the year. Regular price on Amazon is $79 if you get the card instead of $99 for the digit version (which makes zero sense - why is the version that they have to mail a card out to you cheaper?).
 
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Eric5273

macrumors 6502a
Apr 12, 2009
771
503
New Jersey
I use Office 365 on my iPad Pro as a means to run my business. I don't even own a Mac or PC anymore. However, my needs are not huge. I prepare contracts and legal documents in Word, and I use excel to keep track of music metadata on spreadsheets. I don't use any of the fancy formatting features, so I cannot say how good they are. The extent of my formatting are choosing to bold or underline some text, or changing the font size. I do sometimes use formulas in excel to combine columns and such, but nothing fancy with charts or graphs or anything like that.

That said, I've never had files get deleted or any issues like that. It's always been very reliable.
 
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cjackson951

macrumors newbie
Aug 21, 2009
8
3
It doesn't have to be a "dumb" screen. Just put the lightning connector on the side and turn the keyboard part into the "dock". You can plug in your iPad to the keyboard, maintain full touch screen capability but have the increased functionality of a keyboard. Done right this would become a full fledged replacement of the MacBook Air line making a true ultra-portable laptop.


I find the iPad version of Office OK for short writing (5pgs or less), stream of thought brain storming, etc. For serious writing with cross references, citing, etc. I prefer my MBP. I love my iPad, it's not a laptop no matter how many times Apple chants it. Someday perhaps, and I'm using my 12.9 much more for creation than I ever did with my 9.7s. But right now I still need a laptop.

Honestly, I don't know why Apple hates convertible laptops. To me the perfect solution would be a MB or MBP that used an iPad as the screen -- connected via smart connector, for example + some other security latch. When the iPad is on the MBP it's just a "dumb" screen. When removed it's a full fledged iPad.
 

dk001

macrumors demi-god
Oct 3, 2014
11,142
15,496
Sage, Lightning, and Mountains
I use Office 365 on my iPad Pro as a means to run my business. I don't even own a Mac or PC anymore. However, my needs are not huge. I prepare contracts and legal documents in Word, and I use excel to keep track of music metadata on spreadsheets. I don't use any of the fancy formatting features, so I cannot say how good they are. The extent of my formatting are choosing to bold or underline some text, or changing the font size. I do sometimes use formulas in excel to combine columns and such, but nothing fancy with charts or graphs or anything like that.

That said, I've never had files get deleted or any issues like that. It's always been very reliable.

Have you tried the stock Apple apps instead?
 

TinaBelcher

macrumors 65816
Jul 23, 2017
1,256
747
Not true.
What is it with people accusing me of lying here Lol. It is true for some people who have experienced it. We were talking earlier that it may be due to iCloud syncing. But it's really annoying when people tell me "not true, you are wrong".
 
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sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,408
13,294
where hip is spoken
I've heard that Microsoft word crashes a lot on iPad and deletes many files due to bugs.
What is it with people accusing me of lying here Lol. It is true for some people who have experienced it. We were talking earlier that it may be due to iCloud syncing. But it's really annoying when people tell me "not true, you are wrong".
It's probably for a variety of reasons. You initially posted in this thread that "you heard" that MS Word crashes a lot on the iPad and deletes MANY files due to bugs. You didn't experience those things yourself, you just passed on what you said you heard...without indicating WHERE you heard it.

That is little more than hearsay and gossip. Not very helpful to the people coming to this thread for advice and insights. It was not possible at the time, to determine if your initial post in this thread was that of innocently passing on information or an attempt to troll.

And yet when anyone didn't accept what you said as truth, you became defensive. (You then revealed that you heard it on reddit.)

You say that "it is true that some people have experienced it" and yet it isn't those people (who supposedly experienced it) that are posting in this thread. No one here knows if that is true because no one has come forth with their first-hand experience to confirm that behavior. o_O

You admit that you yourself haven't experienced those things. But you go on to speculate that maybe it is iCloud that was the culprit for the issues that you yourself haven't experienced. :confused:

I don't deny that you read/heard what you said you read/heard, but I would consider that those who claimed those things were perhaps not being truthful or accurate.... 3rd hand information is rarely accurate.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
That is little more than hearsay and gossip.
Good point and without having the initial links to the discussion to backup the claims its hard for most folks to believe anyone.
Capto_Capture 2017-08-30_08-17-55_AM.png

I'd also point out that disagreements should not be taken personally. We are all at different stages of life and experiences and as such we may find as in this case MS office to be rock solid.

As for a for instance, I can get Excel to crash on my Mac, by simply hiding a column. An other user may not, because he may be on a different version of Excel, OSX, or some other factor. He's not lying nor calling me out just because his experience has been the polar opposite of mine.
 
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AlliFlowers

macrumors 601
Jan 1, 2011
4,542
15,756
L.A. (Lower Alabama)
How would you advise the OP with regard to using the iPad version of MS Office for college?

Chances are he can use it for 98% of everything he'll need to do - if he's comfortable doing it. There are times I just need a full sized keyboard. I would, however, recommend a cheap Windows laptop as a backup. There will be times that there are things that are not optimized for iOS. There are still websites that you cannot navigate on an iPad even in desktop view.

It will depend on his comfort, and the demands of the instructors. I still have to use my PC at school because the tools I use for budget and Active Directory management are not available for iOS.
 
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TinaBelcher

macrumors 65816
Jul 23, 2017
1,256
747
It's probably for a variety of reasons. You initially posted in this thread that "you heard" that MS Word crashes a lot on the iPad and deletes MANY files due to bugs. You didn't experience those things yourself, you just passed on what you said you heard...without indicating WHERE you heard it.

That is little more than hearsay and gossip. Not very helpful to the people coming to this thread for advice and insights. It was not possible at the time, to determine if your initial post in this thread was that of innocently passing on information or an attempt to troll.

And yet when anyone didn't accept what you said as truth, you became defensive. (You then revealed that you heard it on reddit.)

You say that "it is true that some people have experienced it" and yet it isn't those people (who supposedly experienced it) that are posting in this thread. No one here knows if that is true because no one has come forth with their first-hand experience to confirm that behavior. o_O

You admit that you yourself haven't experienced those things. But you go on to speculate that maybe it is iCloud that was the culprit for the issues that you yourself haven't experienced. :confused:

I don't deny that you read/heard what you said you read/heard, but I would consider that those who claimed those things were perhaps not being truthful or accurate.... 3rd hand information is rarely accurate.
Well, shoot me for being the messenger then
 
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dk001

macrumors demi-god
Oct 3, 2014
11,142
15,496
Sage, Lightning, and Mountains
I use Office on my iPhone, iPad Pro, and Thinkpad. The Thinkpad is by far and away the best platform of the three. I do use a lot of feature in Office.

It depends on use. If you the opportunity to experiment, that never hurts. Just don't place your work / data / documents in jeopardy. Just remember that if an iPad can do 90%, you still need another device for that other 10%.
 
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Donfor39

macrumors 68000
Jul 26, 2012
1,930
377
Lanarkshire Scotland
My home budget is recently updated via Excell.

O2 MS office 365 subs free. 12 mths from IPad Pro 10.5 upgrade.

Haven’t yet found the time to use Word.

Outlook thankfully activated a few weeks later.

As advised in earlier post, office 365 seems fine for home use.
 

0989383

Suspended
May 11, 2013
469
272
I actually went back to using Pages and Numbers and Keynote from office for university.

Yes, you can depend on iPad only.

If you rarely need desktop Word features then use your on campus library PC's to do the formatting and checking over before emailing documents on.

Saves you hundreds of $ on a PC you don't love using of your own and hundreds of hours enjoying iOS rather than fighting with Windows :) (my experience)
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
No, I have not. I already had an Office 365 subscription when I got my iPad Pro, and I've been using Word and Excel for decades, so I just installed those and continued using them.
I found Pages/Numbers to be inferior in what it provides, rendering, and it alters the look of the document when importing. For light use Pages/Numbers may be ok, but I find Office to be a decent deal, though do hate subscriptions.
 

sparksd

macrumors G4
Jun 7, 2015
10,025
34,555
Seattle WA
I found Pages/Numbers to be inferior in what it provides, rendering, and it alters the look of the document when importing. For light use Pages/Numbers may be ok, but I find Office to be a decent deal, though do hate subscriptions.

Agree on the subscriptions but at least with Office 365 you get the multiple installations, multiple users and 1TB of cloud storage for each of the 4 authorized users under a single license (as opposed to Adobe CC and its restrictive installs).
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Agree on the subscriptions but at least with Office 365 you get the multiple installations, multiple users and 1TB of cloud storage for each of the 4 authorized users under a single license (as opposed to Adobe CC and its restrictive installs).
No question, MS made it worthwhile. I have office running on my laptop, desktop, and iPad. If Ms changed the terms, I'd be fairly quick to drop them, even if that means working with Pages/Numbers. As it stands I feel I'm getting value for my buck
 
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