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MS Office Tablet Delay Gives Google a Real Chance, and Not Just Google Apps

Posted by Soulskill on from the microsoft-working-hard-to-break-vendor-lock-in dept.

rtfa-troll writes "Microsoft Office slideware for iOS and Android has been resisting many migrations to Google Apps. Although a number of the largest companies, from KLM to Disney, have already moved to Google Apps, most large companies are still using Microsoft Office heavily. The majority of current Google users are smaller businesses. Now Microsoft has been forced to admit that its office suite for Android will be delayed by at least a year and Zdnet tells us that Google will be the big winner from that. However, they also say QuickOffice, rather than Google Apps, will be the main winner. Other Android app suites will benefit too, though currently the Android version of LibreOffice is only available as a dev build for sideloading and is having some difficulties packaging for Google Play, so it may not benefit from this delay unless more volunteers step up to help. Microsoft relies heavily on Office for revenue, so this may represent a real, long-term threat to the company."

2 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Really? by binarylarry · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Is Google introducing some type of "uncloud" feature for Google Docs?

    I like Google Docs but it sucks having confidential business materials out in the cloud somewhere.

    --
    Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
    1. Re:Really? by mabhatter654 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      QuickOffice is their offline product. It has been floating around since the Palm days to read MS Office docs. The only problem is that QuickOffice never picked up OpenOffice file types... And that is what Google Docs are built on natively.

      If Google would move on the OpenOffice compatibility they could grab a bunch of Linux Desktop offices as well that use LibreOffice included in lots of distros. And LibreOffice is free for Macs and PCs so google could do a Google Docs plugin.

      Microsoft has allowed too much NIH from MS Office management and they are about to lose their Monopoly money. They were supposed to have a native Dot Net version of Office 3-5 years ago.. They could have been running it on Xboxes... But the Office team couldn't do the job. They couldn't deliver a Native Metro Office either... So the Office team not doing their homework means Windows RT has to run a "fake desktop" for MICROSOFT'S FLAGSHIP PRODUCT. That's not Winning. So is it a surprise that MS can't get an iOS or Android version out? Microsoft has lashed their shops together so tightly they can't pick them apart... They can't even keep up a MAC version of Office without a year lead time.

      So while the FOJ was utterly ineffective in intro long Microsoft's behavior with the law, at least Microsoft's 10 year focus on bending and weaseling out of the DOJ rules took their collective eyeballs off MAKING SOFTWARE. (Kin and Courier could have won them back share YEARS ago) And now the little ships like Apple and Google have paddled far enough away on different directions Microsoft can't hurt them anymore.