Microsoft Makes Its Office For iPad Apps Free To Use | TechTree.com

Microsoft Makes Its Office For iPad Apps Free To Use

Advanced features will still require an Office 365 subscription, but basic editing will be open for everyone

 

Microsoft's intentions of pushing its products through rival platforms became fully evident when the company released its Office for iPad apps earlier this year. While it turned out to be a great move, there was one major drawback – users were forced to have an Office 365 subscription in order to make any sort of edits.

Thankfully, the company is fixing just that, and has announced that it will soon offer basic editing as a standard feature on the Office for iPad apps, just as it does on Android and the iPhone apps. Users will still require an Office 365 subscription to use all the features, but now a larger audience will get a taste of what Office is really capable of.

Additionally, the company isn't just keeping all the goodies locked to Apple users, and has begun beta-testing the first ever app designed specifically for Android tablets. In its final form, Office for Android tabs will have standalone Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps, and in all probability will be very similar to the Office for iPad suite.

All this may sound a little odd considering Microsoft doesn't yet have a touch friendly version of Office for its very own Windows platform. However, the company says its hard at work building the same, but we shouldn't expect it to go live anytime before the launch of Microsoft's latest and greatest Windows 10 OS.

Finally, Microsoft has also completely overhauled its Office apps for the iPhone, bringing standalone Word, Excel and PowePoint apps to Apple's smartphone line. It's similar to the iPad apps, with free but limited editing capabilities, but optimized for use on smaller screens and now has a host of powerful features when paired to an Office 365 subscription.

It wouldn't be far off to expect Microsoft to release similar apps for Android smartphones, now that it's pretty clear what the company intends to do with its Office suite. Moreover, it's a great way to offer a massive audience a taste of the Office suite, and does a more compelling job of convincing people to invest in an Office 365 subscription.


TAGS: Microsoft, Office for iPad, Office 365

 
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