Should You Use Microsoft Office or Apple Apps on Your Mac?
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Gary from MacMost.com discusses whether to install Microsoft Office or use Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on a Mac. He covers the availability, cost, and features of both, highlighting Microsoft's power and compatibility but also Apple's ease of use and free access. He suggests that users can utilize both, depending on their needs, and offers advice on transitioning between the two suites for optimal productivity.
Takeaways
- 💻 Microsoft Office apps and Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote serve similar purposes but have different interfaces and features.
- 🛍️ Microsoft Office apps are available for free download from the Mac App Store but require a subscription for full access.
- 💡 The main reason to use Microsoft Office is familiarity, especially for those transitioning from Windows with extensive experience in Word and Excel.
- 💪 Microsoft Office apps are considered the most powerful with a vast array of features, though many users may not need all of them.
- 🔄 Compatibility is a key advantage of Microsoft Office, facilitating easier document sharing with others using the same suite.
- 📚 For those with a history of Microsoft Office documents, having the official apps can be beneficial for opening and managing old files.
- 🆓 Apple's apps are free and can be a good alternative or supplementary tool to Microsoft Office for Mac users.
- 📱 Apple's apps offer a seamless experience across Apple devices and work well within the Apple ecosystem, including iCloud collaboration.
- 🔍 Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are considered easier to use with a cleaner interface compared to their Microsoft counterparts.
- 📈 Users can work with Microsoft Office documents in Apple's apps, providing flexibility for viewing and editing.
- 🤔 The choice between Microsoft Office and Apple's apps ultimately depends on personal preference, needs, and the tools used by collaborators.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video script?
-The main topic of the video script is whether to install Microsoft Office on a Mac or to use Apple's alternative apps, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
How can one obtain Microsoft Office apps for Mac?
-Microsoft Office apps can be obtained from the Mac App Store, where they are available for free download but require a subscription for use.
What are the alternative apps to Microsoft Office recommended in the script?
-The alternative apps to Microsoft Office recommended in the script are Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
Why might someone choose to use Microsoft Office apps over Apple's apps?
-Some reasons to choose Microsoft Office apps include familiarity with the software, their powerful features, compatibility with other users who use Microsoft Office, and the ability to open older Microsoft file formats without issues.
What are the advantages of using Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps?
-The advantages of using Apple's apps include them being free, easier to use, and well-integrated within the Apple ecosystem, including compatibility with iOS devices.
What does the script suggest about the complexity of Microsoft Office apps compared to Apple's apps?
-The script suggests that Microsoft Office apps are more complex and feature-rich compared to Apple's apps, which are considered easier to understand and use.
How does the script address the issue of compatibility between Microsoft Office and Apple's apps?
-The script mentions that while both sets of apps can open each other's files, there may be compatibility issues. It also notes that Apple's apps can export documents in Microsoft Office formats.
What is the script's stance on the possibility of using both Microsoft Office and Apple's apps?
-The script supports the idea of using both Microsoft Office and Apple's apps, suggesting that one can use each for different tasks or gradually transition from one to the other.
What does the script suggest for users who are new to these types of applications?
-The script suggests that for new users, starting with Apple's apps might be easier due to their simpler interface, but it also acknowledges the power and feature set of Microsoft Office apps.
How does the script discuss the collaboration aspect of using Microsoft Office and Apple's apps?
-The script discusses that collaboration is possible with both Microsoft Office and Apple's apps, but the ease of collaboration may depend on whether the team uses Microsoft Office or Macs.
What is the final advice given in the script regarding the choice between Microsoft Office and Apple's apps?
-The final advice is that the decision should be personal and there is no right or wrong answer. Users can try Microsoft Office for a year and then decide to switch to Apple's apps, or vice versa, based on their experience and needs.
Outlines
🤔 Choosing Between Microsoft Office and Apple Apps
In this paragraph, Gary discusses the dilemma of whether to install Microsoft Office on a Mac or to use the native Apple apps, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. He explains that Microsoft Office apps are available for free download from the Mac App Store but require a subscription for use. Gary highlights the benefits of using Microsoft Office, such as familiarity for those coming from a Windows background, the powerful features of Word and Excel, and compatibility with other users and documents. He also mentions the option of a one-time purchase from Microsoft, which is more expensive and does not include major updates. The alternative, Apple's apps, are praised for their simplicity and ease of use, especially for those new to these types of applications.
📱 Advantages of Apple's Apps and Compatibility
This paragraph focuses on the advantages of using Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps, which are free and user-friendly, with a cleaner interface compared to Microsoft Office. Gary points out that these apps are ideal for Mac users, especially those who are new to the platform or prefer a simpler experience. He also discusses the compatibility of Apple's apps with Microsoft Office documents, allowing users to open, view, and even export files in Office formats. Moreover, Gary emphasizes the seamless integration of Apple's apps within the Apple ecosystem, including collaboration features when documents are saved to iCloud. He concludes with the suggestion that users can employ both sets of apps, leveraging the strengths of each for different tasks or gradually transitioning from Microsoft Office to Apple's apps.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Microsoft Office
💡Pages
💡Numbers
💡Keynote
💡Subscription
💡Compatibility
💡Power
💡User Interface
💡iCloud
💡OneDrive
💡Export
Highlights
Decision between using Microsoft Office or Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on a Mac depends on personal preference and needs.
Microsoft Office apps are available for free download from the Mac App Store but require a subscription for use.
A one-time purchase option for Microsoft Office is more expensive and does not include major updates.
Microsoft Office is preferred for users with extensive experience and knowledge of Word and Excel from a Windows background.
Microsoft Word and Excel are considered the most powerful word processor and spreadsheet apps on the market.
Compatibility with other Microsoft Office users and document formats is a key advantage of using Microsoft Office apps.
Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are free and offer a seamless experience within the Apple ecosystem.
Apple's apps are generally easier to use compared to Microsoft Office, especially for new users.
Apple's apps offer free versions for iPhone and iPad, facilitating cross-device use without compatibility issues.
Pages, Numbers, and Keynote can open and work with Microsoft Office documents, providing flexibility.
Users can use both Microsoft Office and Apple's apps to leverage the strengths of each for different tasks.
Subscription to Microsoft Office can be tried for a year to assess its suitability before deciding on a long-term solution.
Apple's apps integrate well for collaboration with other Mac users, especially when documents are stored on iCloud.
Microsoft Office apps offer advanced features packed into Word and Excel, catering to users who need specialized functionalities.
The Mac versions of Microsoft Office apps are attuned to the Mac interface, making the transition from Windows versions easier.
Apple's Pages provides a cleaner and more straightforward interface compared to Microsoft Word.
Excel's complexity can be overwhelming for new users, whereas Numbers offers a simpler alternative.
Keynote and PowerPoint have different interfaces, with Keynote being more attuned to Mac users' preferences.
Transcripts
Hi, this is Gary with MacMost.com. Should you
install Microsoft Office on your Mac or just use Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
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A question I'm often asked, and that I often see online, is do you need to install the Microsoft
Office apps on your Mac. In particular apps like Word, Excel, and Power Point. The alternative,
of course, is to use Apple's apps Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Pages and Word are
both word processors. Numbers and Excel are both spreadsheet apps. Keynote and Power Point are
both presentation apps. But they all do look and word differently. So, which one should you use?
You can get Microsoft's apps from the Mac App Store. They're all available to
download for free. But, you're going to need a subscription to use them. You can choose from
a couple of different subscription plans from the Microsoft site and then in those
apps you login to be able to access your account and then unlock the app. There's
also the option to do a one time purchase. You can still do that from Microsoft but it's going
to cost more. Of course that is not going to include major updates. So at some point in the
future you may find that you need to buy a new version to replace the aging one that you have.
Now the main reason to use Microsoft Office apps is if you're used to them. Say you've come from
the Windows world, you're now on the Mac, and you have years of experience and knowledge for
using Microsoft Word and Excel and you don't want to stop using them now and use something
new. Well you can simply use the Mac versions of those and continue on doing things the way
that you've always done. The Mac versions do look a little bit different. They are a little
more attuned to the Mac interface. But you're going to find it a pretty easy transition to
go from the Windows version of Word to the Mac version of Word. Another reason you may want to
use Microsoft's apps is that they are without a doubt the most powerful. I love the Apple
apps and I use the Apple apps myself but there is no doubt that Microsoft Word and Microsoft
Excel are the most powerful word processor and spreadsheet app on the market. They've been around
for a long time and have tons of features packed into them. Most people, of course,
don't need all of these features and some of them are really obscure and have very specialized uses.
But there is definitely more features packed into Word and Excel than Pages and Numbers.
Another reason to stick with Microsoft Office apps is for compatibility. If you work with
people or collaborate with people that are also using Microsoft Office apps it's much easier to
pass the same documents back and forth. Not converting them all the time back and forth
to other formats. If that is even going to save you a little bit of time and frustration it's
probably worth the entire price of using Microsoft Office apps. Also, another type of compatibility
is document compatibility. If, say, you've come from the Windows world and you have years and
years worth of Microsoft Word doc files and Excel XLS files well then having Microsoft
Office around to be able to open those old files is really useful. Of course you can open them
in Pages and Numbers as well. But there may be compatibility issues. It could be nice to have the
official Microsoft Office apps there to be able to access all your files without any problems.
Now how about the Apple Apps, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Well, the main advantage to those,
without a doubt, is that they are free. If you've got a Mac you can install Pages,
Numbers, and Keynote on your Mac. Just get them from the App Store if you don't already
have them on your Mac. It doesn't cost you anything. In fact even if you have
Microsoft Office you should probably have those apps installed anyway. They could be
useful for some tasks when you don't need all the power that is in the Office apps.
Now also I believe that the Mac Apps are easier to use. For instance, take a look at Pages here. This
is a blank document. In Pages you've just created a document and you're ready to start writing. You
could see some buttons here at the top. You can see controls for things like font, and
styling here on the right. Now look at Microsoft Word. It definitely looks more complex. Maybe
only marginally so though. Instead of having things on the right everything is here at the
top. This is just a portion of the controls. You have to switch between these different ribbons
here at the top to actually access everything. It's really not that different from having the
right sidebar there. But I think if you really wanted to compare them you would have to come
to the conclusion that Word is more complex. Which makes sense since it's more powerful.
The same thing with Excel and Numbers here. Here is Excel and you can see all the different ribbons
here at the top. Here's Numbers. You still have a lot of that complexity here in the right sidebar
if you even want to have that visible. But I think everything looks a lot cleaner and
it's a little bit easier to understand as long as you're not already deeply entrenched in Excel. Of
course it is going to be hard to transition from Excel to Numbers. But if you haven't
really used Excel I think starting in Numbers is going to be easier than starting in Excel.
Also keep in mind that with Pages, Numbers, and Keynote there are also free versions for
the iPhone and iPad. So if you have multiple Apple devices and you learn to use Pages, say,
on the Mac, you can use some of those skills to actually use Pages on your iPhone or your iPad as
well and there are no compatibility issues. Plus, of course, the Apple Apps work really
well in the Apple Eco System. For instance, if you save a Pages document to iCloud you can go
to the Share Menu here and easily collaborate with other Mac users using Pages. It just kind of works
seamlessly. There's really not too much to learn. You're just both working on the same document.
Now that is also true on Microsoft Office apps. You can collaborate as long as you save
to Microsoft One Drive. If all of your coworkers or collaborators are using Microsoft Office then
it might be better to stick with Microsoft Office. But if they are not, if in fact they
are all using Macs, then it may be better to collaborate with them using Apple's apps.
Another thing about Pages, Numbers, and Keynote is you can still work with Microsoft Office
documents. So this comes really handy if you don't necessarily need to work with
those documents but you do need to view them. So, for instance, here in Pages I could open
up a Microsoft Word file. No problem. It will simply convert it and it will give me warnings
if there is anything that is not compatible. But if my goal here was to just read the document,
like someone in the group I'm in insists on distributing basic information on Microsoft
Word docs, you could still open it up in Pages to read it. If you ever want to give
somebody a document to work on and you're in Pages and they are using Microsoft Word,
you can always go to Export and then Export As Word and give them a word document.
So now some final advice. First, you can use both. If you paid to have Microsoft Office there is no
reason you shouldn't have Pages, Numbers, and Keynote also on your Mac. In fact, I did this
for years when I had to work in Microsoft Word for writing computer books, that's what my publisher
used. But I did everything else in Pages. As a matter of fact this is a good strategy
if you slowly want to wean yourself off of using Microsoft Office apps. You can use Pages for some
things, Word for things you need to use Word for, and then as you get more experience with Pages you
may find at some point you decide to ditch the Office apps. In the end the decision has got to
be yours and there is no right or wrong answer. You certainly don't have to stick with the same
answer. You could subscribe to Microsoft Office for a year to see how it goes and decide to move
completely to Apple Apps next year. You could just use Apple Apps for now and if you find out
you can't get by working with your colleagues with the Apple Apps you can then get Microsoft Office
and start using that. But I do hope you found this information useful. Thanks for watching.
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