Two days ago at their iPad event, Cupertino giant released improved versions of its tablets, computer, and laptop. Besides the hardware releases, it also released its new desktop operating system OS X Mavericks 10.9, and made their productivity suite “iWork” free.
And as is its custom, Apple didn’t hesitate to attack Microsoft and compare their not-so-popular iWork, with the top charted Office productivity suite – Office. To which Frank Shaw, Corporate Vice President of Communications at Microsoft replied to Apple’s groundless accusations and shared his views about all this bedlam that Apple has made.
Apple’s accusations
Apple in its keynote pinpointed that Microsoft’s productivity suite Office requires you $99.99, as opposed to now-freely available iWork. This was not all, Apple’s CEO also mocked Microsoft’s logic behind their Surface Tablets, and introduction of touch support to desktop.
“Now they’re trying to make PCs into tablets and tablets into PCs”, he added.
Microsoft’s reply
When there were no Surface tablets, people were compelled to use more than one device to get any office work done. Frank Shaw explains that perfecting this loophole was the theme behind Surface.
A tablet built to offer great touch-based entertainment activities combined with a productivity powerhouse that helps people crank through the stuff they have to get done before they watch zombies or flick birds.
Shaw goes on explaining how Surface tablets come with the productivity suite Office, and keyboards and track-pad for precise input. Because keyboards are not there just to help you write things, it is a part of your tablet computer. There is a plethora of keyboard shortcuts that makes your computing experience easier.
He later berates Apple for daring to compare iWork with Microsoft’s productivity suite Office, He explains,
Now, since iWork has never gotten much traction, and was already priced like an afterthought, it’s hardly that surprising or significant a move. And it doesn’t change the fact that it’s much harder to get work done on a device that lacks precision input and a desktop for true side-by-side multitasking.
In probably the best come back line you will ever read, he mocks the irresponsible coverage of Apple’s event, “you wouldn’t know that from reading some of the coverage I’ve read today. Perhaps attendees at Apple’s event were required to work on iOS devices that don’t allow them to have two windows open for side-by-side comparisons,”
He concludes his post by clearing things that Apple (and Apple’s fanboys) has clearly misunderstood.
Both the Surface Tablets are cheaper and offer more storage and functionalities than Apple’s iPad 2 and iPad Air. Both the tablets are equipped with the full versions of Office 2013, which share precedented lead at their respective fields. In addition, both the tablets are laced with USB ports, SD card slots and even multiple keyboard options to enhance user’s productivity. And of course, you can multi-task and open multiple windows both side by side as well as layered over each other.
So, when I see Apple drop the price of their struggling, lightweight productivity apps, I don’t see a shot across our bow, I see an attempt to play catch up.
You can read his post here.
