Surface still the best, Apple's free apps are no big deal: Microsoft

Microsoft may have lost over $900 million when it comes to the Surface tablets, and the iPad might still be the world’s most popular tablet, but that hasn’t stopped Microsoft from taking potshots at Apple. In a recent blogpost titled Apples and Oranges, Microsoft’s Frank Shaw, Corporate Vice President of Communications, wrote that Apple’s free iWorks apps was no big deal. He wrote, " Surface and Surface 2 both include Office, the world’s most popular, most powerful productivity software for free and are priced below both the iPad 2 and iPad Air respectively. Making Apple’s decision to build the price of their less popular and less powerful iWork into their tablets not a very big (or very good) deal." Basically he’s saying that iWorks isn’t worth it given that most people are still comfortable using Microsoft Office. Of course it needs to be noted that iWorks is free only with the purchase of a new iMac, MacBook or a new iOS devices. You’ll still have to shell out money for the apps if you have an older Apple device. [caption id=“attachment_1191089” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Apple’s pages app is seen in this screenshot.[/caption] According to Apple’s website, iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote are free on the App Store for qualifying iOS 7–compatible devices activated on or after 1 September 2013. As far as Macs go, Pages, Numbers and Keynote are free on the Mac App Store for qualifying Mac computers purchased on or after 1 October 2013 but users will have to upgrade to OS X Mavericks. Shaw, then goes on to wax eloquent about the Surface tablet and how its much more productive than other tablets. But as the Apple video showed during the event, people have managed to use their iPads for rather interesting things: from navigating hang gliders to chalking out strategies for a football game. So to say that the iPad is just a giant toy for everyone would a little over the top. As far as the iPad goes Apple does have over 475,000 apps designed for the device, and there’s no doubt that developers prefer to create an iOS app before creating one for other platforms. Shaw then writes that the “Surface and Surface 2 are less expensive than the iPad 2 and iPad Air respectively, and yet offer more storage, both onboard and in the cloud and that they come with Office 2013.” True that but Surface tablets are not available in countries like India or other East Asian markets. The second edition of tablets will be launched in China by next month. Also Surface doesn’t have 3G or Cellular connectivity like the iPads. He also hints that iWorks apps are “non-standard, non-cross-platform, imitation apps that can’t share docs with the rest of the world.” He ends with “I see Apple drop the price of their struggling, lightweight productivity apps, I don’t see a shot across our bow, I see an attempt to play catch up.” Shaw might be right in saying that iWorks is struggling given that it does suffer from non-cross-platform sharing limitations. However Apple has ensured that documents in Pages format can now be opened on a Mac or PC without formatting errors via the iCloud. There’s no doubt Apple aims to sell its iWorks suite hard. The question is will Microsoft be able to stave them off forever?