Google Docs has many great advantages, you don't have to buy it, you don't have to install it, you don't have to update it, it's free, it works on all computers anywhere in the world with full compatibility and interchangeability with other file formats which Microsoft can't do. Not only can (and do) Fortune 500 companies use it but everyone else does, too. Compared to the cost of Office, Google Docs does everything most people use it for and you can use it at no cost. Using Fortune 500 companies as an example is not a good one. They take forever to change, are costly and frequently wasteful with their resources. What they buy has little to do with what most smaller businesses and individuals would buy. In fact, most people buy Office because...uh...aren't you supposed to? Not because it's the only thing that can do the job. IBM uses Google Docs. As does the German and French government as examples off the top of my head. Being effortless is another Google Docs advantage I'm glad you brought up.
Coincidentally, ComputerWorld just reviewed Google Docs: But who uses all the power of the Office suite? It's like people who run out and buy Photoshop instead of just using The Gimp. "Because...because...you're supposed to!" despite the fact they don't use most of the features of Photoshop (or Office) and other tools do the same job just as well, if not better.
I think that Microsoft 2010 will kill Google Docs if they launch it for free. As because there are surely much more users of Microsoft word then of Google Docs.
Office is more for professionnals. Seriously, do you imagine a journalist or a book publisher on Google Docs ? Besides, Microsoft respects your personnal data. It doesn't really matter when it's just about your homework or something else, but some people use Office or Docs for important information.
About 1/4 of IDC respondents of corporate users say they use Google Docs. One million people pay to use the expanded version of Google Docs. Of course, Google's thousands of employees use it exclusively and we use it among our 28 employees and freelancers. O'Reilly does. So do some Wiley authors that I know of. Microsoft recently published their security agreement for agencies wanting access to your information: Microsoft also gives China access to the email of human rights advocates.
I really doubt it. You would think Open Office which is free and can create PDFs and even handle spreadsheet data better to make a dent in office over the years and it has not.
It is a good question on OneNote, and I think it is on topic as Google is going to need to address it if they really want to be competitive with Microsoft. OneNote is software for free-form information gathering, and multi-user collaboration in a way that Google does not yet support. It is an electronic version of the old wire bound notebooks everyone used to use to gather information, with different sections, tabs and pages. One of the main advantages for me is that all the collected information is in one place rather than in lots of Word or Excel files in different folders. Everything is easy to navigate and search. I have sections for personal, work, and my web business. In the web business section, I have tabs for sites, web hosts, registrars, outsource suppliers, affiliate programs, ideas, tools, code snippets, etc. In my site tab (for example), I keep a page for each site with with login and password information, nameservers, database info, etc. OneNote is my one-stop place to keep all information, and I have it synchronized in the cloud so that I can access it from multiple computers anytime I need it. I even allow my outsourced workers in the Philippines access to certain parts of the notebook so that they can get information they need, and also log work done. Download the free beta and try it out!
Both have their own usage and advantages but i usually prefer using Google docs, because i dont have to carry my data when im on the move.
More on that: The journalists at the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and Weekly Telegraph in the UK use Google Docs.
Im sorry but i dont see how Microsoft Office 2010 is going to " kill " google documents. If microsoft wants to invest 500 million into server systems to handle google doc's users transferring over - Im sure they wouldn't spend that much money to gain such a high user base, and especially from google. I say get real, microsoft will never and has already failed at taking over google.
Have any of you used Office 2010?! It's a fucking amazing program. The RC is already out there for download, find it. Microsoft will dominate.
I would second on this. Since Google Docs started to work sufficiently online, I think it would take a long way for Microsoft Office 2010 to try to dominate even in the online solutions.