Google may be forced to look at a resident/cloud dualistic model for its productivity apps since Microsoft's Office 365 gives users a flexible way of mixing cloud-hosting and local access to applications and documents with its new home version of Office 365.
Given that Windows Phones haven't taken off yet (and don't think they will, at least not at the same level as Iphone/Androids) looking at partnerships is a smart move....so let's see what comes out of the kitchen
Thanks, Mejiac! I'm also very interested in seeing how Google develops both Chrome OS and Android based on Microsoft's dual hosted-cloud and local-device model for Office. I'm a fan of Linux and Open Source and of course you can't get Office on Linux (rumored to be something MS is looking at though).
I wonder if Microsoft is thinking of a Linux version of Office because they believe a kind of partnership between Google Docs and some Open Office suite or another is in the cards?
I think, like you said, Microsoft is stepping up an challenging Google by offering a more robust solution that allows for offline functionality.
I think what this those is make things more interesting. Is great that Microsoft is seeing that open source solutions are not going away, and they are working towards providing products that are addressing today's needs.
I myself love Skydrive, so the integration with Office is just coming full circle. But I don't once Google matures it's OS, it'll be interesting to see what they come up with.
My personal preference would be to use one of the open-source suites, but there also I've found format inconsistencies. I wish there were an easy open answer to Office, but there isn't one that is consistent for now.
I think that's the rub, Susan. The problem for most people like me who use the Office suite to communicate in a business framework and to do analysis (Excel) is that you use the features that are helpful and you don't necessarily remember all those you've used. At some point you find that you have a file that needs a feature to open, and when you open it in Docs it doesn't open at all or it opens but looks different. The "visual" parts of Docs (charts in Excel and all of PPT) are critical to me and they almost never work the same way, which means I have to tweak them if I open them in Docs and that if I produce something in Docs and send it to a business user with Office (most of them) the document doesn't appear the way it did when I produced it.
I am more confortable with Office than with Google Docs. But it is always good to have many options to choose from. I think that there is still a lack of quatily with Google Docs.
I guess you younger folks have more ability to context-switch; for me I need a single strategy that always works, and Office combined with SkyDrive is working out for me. I'd love to switch to an OpenSource and Linux-compabile strategy but that's not in the cards till the format and feature issues are resolved.
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