Microsoft has decided to offer Office apps and services for iPad. Satya Nadella announced that the company is bringing Microsoft Office, a popular productivity suite, to iPad. The decision of getting Office apps on iPad was taken during a major press conference held by Nadella live-streamed on the web.
The CEO of the company said, “Microsoft will work to serve ‘users and organisations across devices’ and not just those who use a computer or tablet powered by Windows.
The statement assumes much importance as it marks move away from Microsoft’s policies of keeping exclusive software services locked to Windows devices.
Office Apps for iPad
The three Office apps – Word, Excel and PowerPoint will be free to download and allow reading, and presenting without the need to subscribe to Office 365. The popular email application, Outlook, however, remains absent from the list of available programs. The apps are free for use but require a subscription to Microsoft’s Office 365 service.
The interface of the rolled out apps is much similar to the Windows and Mac versions but give a different feel altogether on your iPad. Particularly, it has been optimised for a touchscreen. Unlike the Office for iPhone app that leaves some room for basic editing, the Office for iPad apps transcends basic features by offering more advanced features like full file compatibility with desktop versions and formatting.
In the past, Microsoft was criticized for not bringing Office, (the most popular software till date) to iPad. As the seconds are passing by, App Store is witnessing thousands of downloads to the iPads. The Excel and PowerPoint apps have already become third and fourth most popular free app downloads in the store.
Go grab one for your iPad now!
