because today Google is going after Microsoft’s other cash cow, the office suite. The Inquirer deadpans (you have to love the Inquirer):
A SEARCH ENGINE FIRM called Google has released its first product which could challenge Microsoft in its own manor.
The big idea is to get corporations to subscribe to its online corporate software bundle which includes office software over the interweb.
Google Apps Premier Edition, which was released today, has an online e-mail, calendaring, messaging and talk applications as well as a word processor and a spreadsheet.
Unlike the free version – which has been ignored by the great unwashed public for a while – the Premier Edition has a few bells and whistles that make it more useful for medium and larger sized businesses.
They’re charging $50 for it, which is a bargain considering the full MS desktop office suite costs 10 times that amount. Google’s online suite doesn’t do a lot of things that the desktop one does, but it does do many of the most important things that people might want to do with a document/mail/calendar suite and a bunch of other nifty things besides, by virtue of being web-based. (integration with Gmail/gtalk buddylist and simultaneous online document collaboration is really cool.)
That said, there’s no online-analog yet for PowerPoint. This is a touchy subject, as for better or worse, I’ve seen that PowerPoint is replacing Microsoft Word is the main internal document format for many large organizations.
While I don’t have a copy of it yet myself (Microsoft… anyone?), they tell me the latest version of MS Office(2007) is indeed very nice… For desktop software.
Here’s how we’ll know when the first online or other new office suite has really made it: when there is a price crossover with Microsoft Office. For the time being, some combination of either actual or perceived difference in value between MSOffice and Google’s offering is still allowing Microsoft command a 10x price premium.
How much longer will that last?
Link: Google releases online business software – The Inq
I have been using google apps for your domain for a while, and while it is very cool, it has a few key shortcomings that need to be addressed before it’s truly ready for the masses:
1. Google Docs is usefull for “grocery list” style documents, but is very bad for larger documents that involve a lot of collaboration for 2 reasons:
a) When lots of people are editing a document at once, your curser keeps jumping to the top of the screen,
b) when people cut and paste content in from word docs/ web pages etc… the formatting goes bonkers and it takes hours to fix it,
c) It doesn’t export well into word & PDF
d) It’s really difficult to figure out how to use your normal email address (if you don’t have gmail), if it’s even possible, with docs, so it can be hard to convince people to try it.
2. Google spreadsheets can’t really even chart stuff, so it’s clearly not ready for business.
3. Page creater is geared towards “personal” style homepages (lots of pastels), and not at all suitable for building even a small business website on. It is too simplistic.
IMHO, gMail and gCalendar are worth the price of admission alone. Everything else… still needs a year or two of development (I WANTED to like them, but just could not find them practical). MS has at least that much time to come up with a game plan.
Throw in wiki functionality though (I’m looking at you Jotspot) and that might all change…
I have been using google apps for your domain for a while, and while it is very cool, it has a few key shortcomings that need to be addressed before it’s truly ready for the masses:
1. Google Docs is usefull for “grocery list” style documents, but is very bad for larger documents that involve a lot of collaboration for 2 reasons:
a) When lots of people are editing a document at once, your curser keeps jumping to the top of the screen,
b) when people cut and paste content in from word docs/ web pages etc… the formatting goes bonkers and it takes hours to fix it,
c) It doesn’t export well into word & PDF
d) It’s really difficult to figure out how to use your normal email address (if you don’t have gmail), if it’s even possible, with docs, so it can be hard to convince people to try it.
2. Google spreadsheets can’t really even chart stuff, so it’s clearly not ready for business.
3. Page creater is geared towards “personal” style homepages (lots of pastels), and not at all suitable for building even a small business website on. It is too simplistic.
IMHO, gMail and gCalendar are worth the price of admission alone. Everything else… still needs a year or two of development (I WANTED to like them, but just could not find them practical). MS has at least that much time to come up with a game plan.
Throw in wiki functionality though (I’m looking at you Jotspot) and that might all change…
I completely agree! Thanks for your Comment Tim.
the spreadsheet and writely application still have a long way to go especially when it comes to pasting things and with rich content.
And the simultaneous collaboration in excel ( I can edit this cell while you edit that cell at the same time) is awesome to behold, from a technical perspective – I can’t say I’ve actually used it that often.
and no charts.
but gmail and gcalendar have completely replaced Outlook for me.
I completely agree! Thanks for your Comment Tim.
the spreadsheet and writely application still have a long way to go especially when it comes to pasting things and with rich content.
And the simultaneous collaboration in excel ( I can edit this cell while you edit that cell at the same time) is awesome to behold, from a technical perspective – I can’t say I’ve actually used it that often.
and no charts.
but gmail and gcalendar have completely replaced Outlook for me.