Here’s a strange new social site that we just got a tip on - ArtOfOffice is a Microsoft site that launched yesterday. It is a place for Mac users to upload artistic content made using Office applications. The community then shares, rates, remixes and discusses the content with other Mac users.
See here and here for example content. As far as I can tell you don’t actually have to be using the Mac version of Office to use the site.
Mac users are not impressed, however. Mostly because the announcement of ArtOfOffice came shortly after the announced delay of Mac Office 2008 from 2007 to 2008. Users were left wondering about Microsoft’s priorities.
In the blog post announcing the new products, the Microsoft Mac team was lambasted for wasting time on side projects while Office 2008 was delayed. The first comment to the post:
Us: Where’s Office 2008 and what’s in it?
You: Look at this nifty website we found!
Another reader:
Jesus, have you guys got a product to ship deadline or not?
And:
Whether or not it took even five seconds of your time, it just looks bad and it sends the wrong message. Read the comments that follow nearly every post you guys put on this blog. Understand the very real frustrations people have with your product. Realize that people are very skeptical that you are going to do much of anything to resolve the issues in the next version of office. In that perceptual environment, does it make good PR sense to unveil some art site? Or, even though it took no staff resources, do you maybe just not go there. Don’t you think it makes it look like you have all the wrong priorities from the perspective of your customers? All we know is that while no one is willing to tell us much, if anything, about how our myriad problems with your product are getting solved in the next version, you sure found it important to let us know about some art site. The disconnect between you guys and your user base is truly stunning.
The Mac team responded by saying that the project wouldn’t cost them “even a day” in shipping Office 2008, but the negative comments kept coming in. The timing of the launch of this new site was, perhaps, a little off.
Thanks for the tip Amit.
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Microsoft is all screwed up. Why don’t you ask them why the free version of Vista ultimate that they gave to everyone at their big launch events is now all of a sudden unsupported (read - can’t get new security updates)?
I can’t upgrade, pay more, nothing. I have to completely wipe and reinstall with a new paid version. This after the told everyone that the version was a complete 100% version of Vista.
For more details, try looking up “80024D00A” on Google. They literally screwed all the people they were trying to impress with the new OS.
Now this Mac site. Crazy.
Chalk another one up for Microsoft!
- Tim McCormack
iRent2u.com - the Online Rental Marketplace
i’m sure MAC is just not high on their list of priorities.
Let’s face it they could have killed apple back in the day when the company was on life support, by not developing office for MAC. the only reason they did this was for antitrust reasons. Now that Apple is doing well, it’s just not on their radar screen. I wouldn’t be surprised by more delays.
Perception is reality.
B S meter: I think the same. Microsoft can never defeat mac with “style”. They’ve made it just for their artistic reasons.
Tim: “80024D00A” on Google doesn’t work:/
First of all, I am typing this on a mac right now (I have 2) before I get bashed by some mac fanboy for being a mac hater. I have to say that many mac users frequently behave like whiny little girls on the various internet forums and message boards and it’s embarrassing and just makes them look silly.
The error code is “8024D00A” — he accidently added an extra 0 in there.
That site is absolutely ridiculous… I can’t even believe that people out there actually spend time on making ‘cell-art’ or any art-related stuff out of the brutal Office suite.
I personally can’t wait for the day when Google’s online office suite completely demolishes Microsoft’s…hopefully its sooner than later.
This is the Leopard calling the kettle black, for sure…
Why do people want MS Office anyway? Download NeoOffice, load up Google Docs or use Apple’s iWork suite. MS Office is an overpriced piece of bloatware that clearly has too much control over the market. People should switch to something else rather than complain about their release schedule
Good catch AW. Extra 0. Woops.
The actual error code is as you said, 8024D00A.
- Tim McCormack
iRent2u.com - the Online Rental Marketplace
Who creates any kind of art in Microsoft Office? Unless your “Johnny Business Man” placing some ugly Santa Claus clip art for the next Corpo Xmas party invite…
This is a wierd announcement. Graphics for Mac Office?
About the Office delays - come on, can you blame microsoft? what would you rather have window’s office delayed (95% of the market) or the mac office delayed (5ish%)…. besides, there never has been a direct corelation between the windows and mac office suites. Often the mac office experimental features and thus is more outlandish than the regular office.
Mac users just hate Windows. IMO, if they can’t deal with it, they should stop complaining and find another app to use.
I agree with John. Quit begging to pay for software that sucks. Download NeoOffice and get on with your life.
Since most Mac users love to hate Microsoft (sorry, I guess I am supposed to spell it Micro$soft), why not just use open office and stop complaining about Office 2008. The new 2008 features aren’t worth much anyway.
I think it is ironic… all of the Apple bashing Microsoft commercials, but when a Microsoft Product for Apple is mysteriously delayed, and they’re left wondering why, they can’t figure it out.
I don’t think the Mac user comments really belong in the coverage of this new MSFT product. It should be well known by this crowd that you aren’t necessarily going to be able to ship a product sooner by just throwing more people at it (read the Mythical Man-Month, for starters).
And I can’t believe anyone who has actually used it would consider Google Docs a serious alternative to MS Office.
As a Mac user in a Windows world, Mac users are forced to use MS Office to communicate and share documents with clients who are Office-bound. If we didn’t have to, believe me, we wouldn’t. We’d just as happily self-cloister our whiny selves from inane products, just as Windows users proclaim they wish we’d do.
check out http://www.behance.net. Their new social network is kinda like this
The funny part is that Bill Gates makes a big deal about being backwards compatible with stuff written 20 years ago for DOS for some third world mom & pop store when they can not be compatible with the version shipped 2 days ago
Yes … I am exaggerating a little to make a point. But the point is made.
Office is most Macusers primary art creation tool, powerpoint their best page layout tool, a few of them are pretty good!
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
The question of timing may be valid but does anyone think the same team thats creating this web app is the same thats coding the Office suite? Geez man, give them a break too (by the way, I am not an MS fan)
you know, i created an account to see what this would be like and after 3 days the images i uploaded are still “being considered”. boring.
This is my first post
just saying HI
Microsoft is a basterd, I was told at the launch event I was given a free version of Windows Vista Ult. As wll, being that my company was one that was invited to the Chicago launch.
Well everything was going well untill I tried to run some updates and nothing. got that same error code, Im just worried now that I will be Screwed out of my free Office Professional and Groove software that I had also received at the event. Also as a side note besides the free software event was a waste no one seem to know what the were talking about. Waste of my time and gas money.
Microsoft doesnt care about its users. Free or paid versions. So While they are wasting time scaming people and making useless ripoffs we have to suffer. boo Microsoft.