IPad - difficulty opening Word attachments

[alicat]

At work, I frequently need to send Word attachments to our non-executive board members. Several new board members are wedded to their Apple gadgets eg IPad, MacBook Pro, IPad mini and so on. By contrast I don't have any difficulty opening attachments from my Gmail account using my MacBookAir.

All of them are variously reporting difficulty opening Word attachments that we send them.

It's driving us nuts and making us look incompetent.

Is there a quick fix we could apply at our end or them at theirs.

All suggestions gratefully received.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Yep....buy and install Pages, Numbers and Keynote.

There are freeby document viewers but they're not very good tbh

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

If they don't need to edit the documents...convert them to pdf's.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Dont know about the iPad's but the Samsung galaxy phones and tablets all have Polaris office that reads & writes all word and excel files.

 

[alicat]

Sometimes we do want them to edit documents.

Sounds like we should check they have a pdf reader on their gadgets.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Pdf viewers are a standard package on apple stuff.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Also ensure you save the documents in an old Microsoft version something like xp or 98. It'll give them a fighting chance.

 

[ufkacbln]

Also ensure you save the documents in an old Microsoft version something like xp or 98. It'll give them a fighting chance.

That was my thought

The issue is with compatibility between Word releases rather than the Apple devices

 

[fossyant]

The iPad sometimes won't show embedded tables or graphs from word docs. Any ideas ? We all get these issues at work.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Stop using stupid proprietary file formats controlled by big business. Use open formats to avoid lock in. Microsoft continue to change the office format every couple of years to force you to buy the latest version.
You would be best advised to hold this conversation sooner rather than later. The Open Document Format (ODF) is a free open standard and free applications such as OpenOffice ensure this is functional across all formats and systems, you can even use this format in Microsoft Office.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953331

Get everyone to save the files as ODF for compatibility everywhere.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument

 

[Joffey]

Try CloudOn - if you have an Internet connection you have Word for free on the iPad!

 

[fossyant]

Some of us are in rather large organisations and part of purchasing groups and they are only just embracing iPads and android devices. Everything was Microsoft only.

Whoops

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Open office is not available for iPads I'm afraid.

Pages, Numbers, Keynote WILL open all Microsoft office docs.

 

[ian turner]

Stop using stupid proprietary file formats controlled by big business.

Hmm the OP is trying to avoid looking incompetent to ipad owners who want to edit documents on a tablet not add those insist on using word as standard to the list
Anyway you have to embrace the formats the companies you deal with embrace. The company I work with talks about creating databases , what do they use ? Excel !!! Primitive savages !!!
Perhaps a pdf editor though note pdf is adobe and Apple have already declared one of their products unclean

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Hmm the OP is trying to avoid looking incompetent to ipad owners who want to edit documents on a tablet not add those insist on using word as standard to the list

Easiest manner in which to look competent is to educate people on the choices they make and to help them make better choices. Most users are even unaware of what formats they save files in at all, they simply use the preferred application as such its not difficult to change Microsoft Office to default to a different save format such as ODF.
I work in an environment which uses BYOD including company provided Macs, ipads, iPhones, Windows and Linux PC's with support for Android based devices. We have 4000 staff globally and do not have the issue mentioned by the OP.

If the windows based PC's using office are administered by the company's system admins you can make the required changes while rolling out updates and the users would be none the wiser.

Microsoft have also stated recently that the long term goal and direction for Office is to make it more based around the Microsoft Cloud for subscription storage and integration in to the Windows mobile platform.
Integration of Microsoft formats into other devices will become worse over time as the general consumer will view this as the Microsoft mobile platform has more functionality.

If your not in trouble with closed formats yet, you will be soon IMHO... the future is open standards where the device and platform does not matter