[hmurchison]

I use Microsoft Office 2007 every single day. There are parts of the program that I think are great (I don't mind the ribbon all that much ..it helps for a new user like myself). But like most Microsoft apps I have grown weary of the Microsoft way exhibiting paranoia through Genuine Advantage checks at every step (templates, add-ins etc)

As good as Office 2007 is ...it's about time for Apple to create the iWork big brother. Here's what Apple might want to do and this could be somewhat controversial.

BUY OMNIGROUP!

Apple will not likely find another small yet capable developer with the right product set that complements what they already have so well.

OmniWeb

Competes with Safari and not that well IMO. This product would be shelved.

OmniGraffle

A very popular app for diagrams in the Visio mold. Totally complementary for Apple's needs and important for business.

OmniOutliner

Getting a bit old UI wise but still actively developed. I could see Apple combining OO into the basic word processor.

OmniPlan

Project Management- another complementary and powerful program that Apple could use to great effect in a suite.

OmniFocus

Forthcoming GTD application which is going to be good for general tasks and could turn into a nice iPhone app someday as well.

Now for the rest of the tools

Word processing- Pages is nice but it's a hybrid. Focus the big bro on more document creation that aligns with the needs of business. That doesn't mean that you have to forgo on making it graphically rich but focus on easy template creation and management. Allow for powerful Macros and Autotext like features. Export options should be extensive and add OpenDocument support.

Spreadsheet - I'd personally love something along the lines of Lotus Improv/Quantrix Modeler. I'd like to see solid integration between the WP and spreadsheet.

Mail client - mail app is solid but let's take it's core, make it more "Outlooky" with integrated iChat and iCal Server support. Push email to the iPhone would be fantastic and a web front end would be the bees knees for calendar and email access from the road/home.

Database- Poach from Filemaker Pro

Keynote - I'm not sure Keynote would really need to be all that beefed up. A standard revision would probably suffice for most business users.


The vision here would be to include the basics WP/SS/DB/Pres/Groupw client, in the basic version and then add in a Plus package that includes Diagramming, Project management. As an adjunct Apple would also deliver a Web Pro app for professional level web authoring.

A community would be set up outside of the Apple.com domain which would facillitate the learning of the suite. Templates, and components would be available to extend the programs.

In summation:

Microsoft Office is a nice program but it still suffers from being a Microsoft app in the way that it mucks up the simplest things (like setting default templates or customizing the UI). In order to be the Man you have to beat the Man. Apple shipping a half baked suite in iWork isn't going to entrench them with many people. The stakes are high now...we're seeing the proliferation of Web 2.0 Rich Internet Apps (RIA) and further reliance on web resources for content. Apple has its own initiatives that cannot be met by subservience to Microsoft Office.

It's time to take the Office Suite into a different direction.

[Kraetos]

Uh....

Apple wouldn't have to buy OmniGroup as much as they would just have to suck up these guys. I find Tables to be extremely good.

All the OmniStuff would be nice, but not really necessary for creating an Office competitor. Remember: Office is

Word (Pages)
PowerPoint (Keynote)
Excel (Ideally, Tables)
Entourage (Mail + iCal + Address Book)

And there you have it.

Also, Apple were to suck up OmniGroup... keep OmniWeb! Kill Safari. Or at least, hybridize them. OmniWeb has a lot of features Safari could use.

[cozmo]

I just need Tables and Pages to mail merge together for mailing lists and the like, unless I can have Filemaker Pro do that (it probably can, I have never used it).

[Brad]

I'm pretty sure the guys in The Omni Group have stated before that they have no desire to build an Office competitor. If Apple bought them out, I can't imagine there would be much motivation to stay onboard and develop something that they don't want to do.

[Bryson]

Originally Posted by hmurchison OmniWeb Competes with Safari and not that well IMO. This product would be shelved.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to step outside, sir.

Omniweb has vastly superior features to Safari. The only real downside is that you have to pay for it, something of an oddity for a browser.

[Kraetos]

Originally Posted by Brad I'm pretty sure the guys in The Omni Group have stated before that they have no desire to build an Office competitor. If Apple bought them out, I can't imagine there would be much motivation to stay onboard and develop something that they don't want to do.

In the words of J.G.:

"SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Competing Directly Against Microsoft May Be Hazardous to Your Company."

[Mac+]

Originally Posted by Kraetos Uh.... Apple wouldn't have to buy OmniGroup as much as they would just have to suck up these guys. I find Tables to be extremely good. All the OmniStuff would be nice, but not really necessary for creating an Office competitor. Remember: Office is Word (Pages) PowerPoint (Keynote) Excel (Ideally, Tables) Entourage (Mail + iCal + Address Book) And there you have it. Also, Apple were to suck up OmniGroup... keep OmniWeb! Kill Safari. Or at least, hybridize them. OmniWeb has a lot of features Safari could use.

Originally Posted by Bryson I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to step outside, sir. Omniweb has vastly superior features to Safari. The only real downside is that you have to pay for it, something of an oddity for a browser.

... both QFT.

Also, if what Brad says is correct, then Apple taking over the Omni Group to work on a new Office Suite won't yield the ROI they're after in the long term. Sure, they'll pick up some IP in the form of code initially, but it's like the old adage of "you can lead a horse to water ...".

I agree with your ideas about how the Office suite can be taken in a new direction; I just don't have a need for them presently. On a basic level, I personally want iWork to include a spreadsheet app and for Address Book to offer some Entourage-type relational connections and colour coding of contacts or groups.

[hmurchison]

LOL ok ok ...I'll give Omniweb another look.

Brad that's a good point. Omnigroup from a product standpoint is a good fit but from a political standpoint not so much.

I've read a lot of things about Tables. If I knew how to use a spreadsheet better I'd certainly give it a spin.

Funny thing is Office Suites are becoming more of a centralized communications suite. I'm working in a very small company but before I worked with roughly 700 people and instant messaging was preferred by many. I think the amalgamation of Email, IM, VOIP, and collaboration tools are defining the nextgen Office Suite.

Apple certainly has some irons in the fire. iChat Theatre for collab, calendar server and To Do systemwide support,

If they want to move in forward in this direction it really wouldn't take buying out Omnigroup.

[neiltc13]

Why do people think that companies have to buy each other for products to become reality these days?

I'm sure, if Apple wanted to they could form a development team of their own.

[Frank777]

Originally Posted by Brad I'm pretty sure the guys in The Omni Group have stated before that they have no desire to build an Office competitor. If Apple bought them out, I can't imagine there would be much motivation to stay onboard and develop something that they don't want to do.

I'm pretty sure their previous statement is predicated upon the fact that they wouldn't be able to compete with Redmond and would be a perennial also-ran in that market.

If they were working for Apple, and had a decent chance of competing, they might feel differently.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by neiltc13 Why do people think that companies have to buy each other for products to become reality these days? I'm sure, if Apple wanted to they could form a development team of their own.

It's a matter of what is cheaper. If you can develop your own product that great but it's time and low cost is important then you may want to consider purchasing the assets of another company. Growth by acquisition is a very popular thing in the computing field.

Originally Posted by Frank777 I'm pretty sure their previous statement is predicated upon the fact that they wouldn't be able to compete with Redmond and would be a perennial also-ran in that market. If they were working for Apple, and had a decent chance of competing, they might feel differently.

that's true, they seem to be tiptoeing around finding products to deliver that don't compete heavily with established and large vendors.

The only reason why I chose Omnigroup is because there product line is somewhat synergistic with Apple. I am interested in seeing what the next iWork looks and functions like.