09-06-2010, 03:53 PM

I recently bought an iMac which I really love and plan to make my main computer replacing my Windows 7 PC.

I'm currently using Microsoft Office 2007 on my Windows PC and have a large amount of Word .doc and Excel .xls files mostly created with Office 2003.

I need to be able to open and edit these files and wanted to ask others who have made the shift to Mac whether they have any problems doing this with iWork?

My doc files are mostly pretty simple without fancy tables or graphics and my Excel files are also pretty basic with no graphs or charts.

I've seen comments that Office 2008 for Mac isn't as good as Office 2007 for PC and I'm aware there is the chance of a free upgrade to the latest version of Office for the Mac in November. However, I would just prefer to make a clean break and go with Apple based software.

I know I could use Parallels to run Office 2007 but this just seems a step backwards to me.

I’d appreciate anyone’s thoughts on which way to go with this and any problems or successes you’ve had.

Duncan

09-06-2010, 04:19 PM

If you insist on using Office for Mac, then you should wait a little while longer as they are releasing a new version of Office.

There is also trial version of both that you can try out. Google is your friend, as well as the search function on the forums.

09-06-2010, 04:32 PM

I'd go for Office 2008. If your looking for 100% compatibility than thats your best bet. iWork always has some sort of issue when you export to .doc or .xls or whatever.

As CrimsonRequiem also pointed put a new version of Office is due out soon (not sure of the exact date) so if you do purchase Office 2008 than I think you get the newer version for free…not sure exactly how that works so you'd have to find out more via google…

Office 2008 is pretty slow but based on reviews of the newer version its much faster. much much much faster…lol

09-06-2010, 04:33 PM

Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org and iWork all have free trials. All are compatible with the Microsoft Office formats. I'd try each and see which one suits your fancy. I'd say for 95% of the folks out there, OpenOffice will be more than suitable.

09-06-2010, 04:36 PM

Well it depends. I think for a heavy user open office wouldn't be ideal. Try and create a complex document using images, tables, graphs etc in open office or Pages and there will always be something wrong with the document…It depends on the user, if your a light user than its fine but for heavier users open office isn't a great option.

But yeah they all have free trials so just download the them and see which one you like the best…

09-06-2010, 04:48 PM

I'm not a big proponent of Open Office (I feel it's bloated), however, in this instance I have to agree with cw107. Since it's free and will save to the Office format by default, it's probably best for most folks. The big disadvantage to using iWork in my opinion is the fact that it can not by default be set to save in the standard Office formats. It has to be chosen each time.

09-06-2010, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by chscag

I'm not a big proponent of Open Office (I feel it's bloated), however, in this instance I have to agree with cw107. Since it's free and will save to the Office format by default, it's probably best for most folks. The big disadvantage to using iWork in my opinion is the fact that it can not by default be set to save in the standard Office formats. It has to be chosen each time.

I actually don't mind cause...I always use "Save As..." feature anyways, as it gives more options. I don't see that as being a disadvantage. >_>" That's just me though.

09-06-2010, 05:12 PM

I have both iWork Pages and Office Word. A simple outline can be converted between them, but to manipulate them is very frustrating. Maybe a more advanced user can deal with it, but for myself anything more complex then a normal letter or document, takes an ordeal cause it just doesn't 'act' right when you try to make changes in something more complex such as an outline.

09-06-2010, 06:34 PM

Stick with Office as it is the top application in this field, however wait until next month when Office 2011 for Mac is to hit the shelves.

09-06-2010, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by CrimsonRequiem

I actually don't mind cause...I always use "Save As..." feature anyways, as it gives more options. I don't see that as being a disadvantage. >_>" That's just me though.

That will cause problems for a lot of people especially those who aren't computer savvy.

09-06-2010, 07:09 PM

Having gone through the switch myself fairly recently (two years ago), I emphatically recommend Microsoft Office. When it comes to compatibility with Microsoft formats, everything else is inferior. Yeah, other programs will open MS files, but if you did anything more than basic formatting (like font and style changes), then your docs will never look the same.

I'd love nothing more than to purge MS from my life entirely, but there's just nothing better in this arena. Even the POS that is Entourage is better than the alternatives. I think it's fair to say that MS built a large part of its empire on business power users -- and it serves them (us) very well.

09-06-2010, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by vansmith

That will cause problems for a lot of people especially those who aren't computer savvy.

If you can distunginsh between "Save" and "Save As..." I'll give you a cookie.

09-06-2010, 08:19 PM

I'd use whatever does the job you need performed best. Generally, I wouldn't use the idea of "all Apple" or "all MS" products as a basis for buying a product. That's a bit short-sided unless there was a specific integration point in the software that I actually used.
I actually bought iWork some years ago because "MS sucks" and ended up buying Office for Mac 2004 anyhow. That was because I was using my personal Mac to do work for a corporation I was employed with at the time. iWork and OOo didn't work well when I brought in presentations and spreadsheets that looked horrible and other people had difficulty correcting and editing. I saved pennies to cost dollars in the end because corporate America uses MS to exchange documents.
These days I have a Win7 VM running Office 2003 and 2007, so it's not an issue. I wouldn't spend money again on "Office" type apps for personal consumption unless there was a specific need, since OOo and NeoOffice work fine for my personal stuff. Keep in mind that Oracle may be changing OOo at some point and making future versions not-free. Still, until file formats change drastically OOo works fine. Like said before, whatever tool accomplishes the mission.

09-06-2010, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by XJ-linux

Keep in mind that Oracle may be changing OOo at some point and making future versions not-free.

Oracle's purchase of Sun is probably the worst thing that could have happened to Sun's software portfolio. They frustrated the OpenSolaris community and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they frustrate the Java, OOo and MySQL communities.

09-07-2010, 04:16 AM

Thanks everybody for your suggestions, in the short term I'll probably go with Office for Mac. Longer term I may get iWork too because I really like the look of Keynote.

Duncan