Virtual Assistant Forums | Work from Home

islandgrl · #1 (**permalink**) 10-20-2009

I'm trying to decide which would be the better program for me to invest in for my VA business. I am more familiar with MS Office because I use it at work, but as a long time Mac user I am also curious about iWork which is significantly less than MS Office. Do they both have similar programs?

Also, while checking out MS Office on Amazon, they are having an amazing sale - MS Office 2008 for Mac Special Edition:

Reg: $499.96
Sale: $174.99!

It almost seems too good to be true! I hate to be paranoid, but are there any problems with this version that I should be made aware of?? lol!

Would appreciate hearing your experiences, preferences, etc with these programs. Thanks!

Olinda Services · #2 (**permalink**) 10-20-2009

If you have clients using Office products it may be easier to convert them to the appropriate file format using Office 2008. It is an awesome program. Some of the iWorks programs are a little more complicated to work with.

Lia-VSS · #3 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009

I second that with Lisa. I use iWork at the moment [where you can save work as windows format - i.e. .doc / .xls] but I have used MS Office for Mac in the past and I have to say it is very similar to what you use on a windows machine. The downsize is the price...

Another idea is to use open office [www.openoffice.org], which is very similar to MS office, plus it's free!

that includes database, spreadsheets, presentations and word processing. And you can also save in .doc/.xls [same filenames as windows] so you can send documents to clients.

Personally, for client use, I tend to use open office as I have found that if you use iWork Pages to type documents with pictures, the pictures can move which, not only is annoying but appears to be unprofessional with clients.

I hope I helped

StephanieP · #4 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009

I purchased the basic iWorks ($49, I think) when I bought my MAC just to have something on there. I have MS Office 2007 on the Windows side which is what I primarily use. I tried the iWork a couple of times, but I really don't like it that much. I thought maybe it was because I had purchased the equivalent of MS Work.

MS Office 2008 for the MAC for only $179? I may have to jump on this one. I hate that I spent so much money for my MAC but very rarely ever get to use that side of it because I need MS Office and Quickbooks for most of my client work and I couldn't afford to buy it for the MAC. I'm really going to have to check this out!

StephanieP · #5 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009

I'm on the Amazon.com website right now. I may need to look into this a bit more before I jump the gun.

MS Office 2008 for Mac - $189.99
MS Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Addition - $174.99
MS Office 2008 for Mac Business Addition - $349.99

For those who are using MS Office for the Mac, what version are you using? I would think that we would benefit the most from having the Business Addition, wouldn't we? I wonder if, since it's on sale, it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and purchase the regular version and then upgrade it later. Although, I think it may end up costing more in the long run. What are your thoughts?

islandgrl · #6 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009

Thanks ladies. The reason for my indecision was because I read something online that said that the Mac version of MS Office is not the full version as the Window's version. That made me a bit wary:

In a recent interview with PC Magazine, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unloaded on Apple and the "Get a Mac" ads. Along the way he asserted that Macs "don't really get full Microsoft Office" and that Macs don't work in the business place.

http://www.macobserver.com/article/2008/10/10.7.shtml

So in other words, we're expected to pay full price for a program that is not the full version?? Isn't that deceptive advertising????

I would love to go to iWorks but I know that the majority of businesses use MS office. Sigh.... I'll just add this to my growing list of obstacles in getting my business started!

Olinda Services · #7 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009

Mac Office does not have Publisher or Access. Entourage is their version of Outlook.

islandgrl · #8 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009

Originally Posted by Olinda Services

Mac Office does not have Publisher or Access. Entourage is their version of Outlook.

That stinks! I love Publisher. I use it at work! Why in the world would they make it different for Mac users? Great. Now I really don't know what to do.

I see that Sam's Club has MS Office for Macs at good prices. Better than Amazon. But there are different versions. For instance:

Office 2008 for Mac - Full Version

Microsoft Office for Mac and Windows share the same file format and graphics engine.
Both feature SmartArt®, compatible graphics templates for compelling charts and diagrams.
Office 2008 for Mac is forward, backward, and cross-platform compatible
No importing or exporting file formats, just easy compatibility
Microsoft Excel 2008 is the most powerful spreadsheet for a Mac, period. No other spreadsheet for the Mac delivers the power of Microsoft Office
Create high quality documents and presentations with Microsoft Word 2008.
Professionally produced templates and clip art for newsletters, presentations, and more
Enterprise class Exchange clients, Entourage and Entourage Web Services Edition
Limitless creativity within familiar applications—Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Then there's: Microsoft Office 2008 Home and Student for Macintosh

Microsoft Office Home and Student for Macintosh comes with four programs, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Entourage. With Word 2008 for Mac, you'll be creating media-rich layouts, templates and themes in great-looking newsletters, brochures and reports in no time. With Excel for Mac, use compelling charts and graphs to show stakeholders what you mean in a glance. Everyone from beginners to professional number crunchers can quickly create professional looking reports. With Powerpoint for Mac, with just a click, create polished presentations and business plans, resumes and newsletters. With Entourage, get in sync with your schedule, calendar and projects.

It doesn't say the same thing about platform/file format sharing and compatibility like the full version. Did they just neglect to put that part in or is the Home Office version not compatible with windows files??

Ladies, I'm getting more and more confused the more I research this!