Apple iPad Finally Has Microsoft Office App And It's FREE
It took Microsoft a while — by some measures too long — but it’s finally here: Office for iPad.
By Farouq Johari — 28 Mar 2014, 01:10 PM — Updated about 10 years ago
Office For iPad Hits 12 Million Downloads In Just One Week!
Microsoft introduced Office for iPad only last week, and now it has already reached 12 million downloads, the company proudly announced via Twitter.
The milestone is still an indicator of how many people are interested in Office for iPad though, and could eventually lead to more people taking up paying subscriptions in the future.
The Office Suite Also Rocketed To The Top Of Apple's iOS App Store Charts Just One Day After Launch
The Office suite, including Microsoft Word for iPad, Microsoft Excel for iPad and Microsoft PowerPoint for iPad, rocketed to the top of Apple's iOS App Store charts one day after launch. Currently, the apps stand one-two-three at the top of the iPad App Store's free app rankings, with the go-along Microsoft OneNote for iPad sitting in sixth.
appleinsider.comMicrosoft Corp's New Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella, Finally Unveiled Office For Apple Inc's iPad On 27 March 2014
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, speaks at a media event in San Francisco, California on Thursday, March 27, 2014.
Image via thestar.com.myMicrosoft introduced the long-awaited suite of applications, which includes Word, PowerPoint and Excel, at an event here Thursday, where the company’s new chief executive, Satya Nadella, committed to making the software work on all major computing devices, including those made by its competitors.
nytimes.com
Microsoft is promising full file fidelity with the desktop versions, and Office for iPad includes support for re-flowing, formatting, and touch handles.
theverge.com
The Good News Is, This New "Touch-First" Version Of Office Crafted For The iPad Is Available For FREE
At a news conference Thursday, executives demonstrated a new "touch-first" version of Office crafted for the iPad, available for download as a free app, though a subscription is needed to let users create or edit documents rather than just read them.
thestar.com.my
Office for iPad is actually three distinct apps currently available in Apple’s App Store: Word for iPad, Excel for iPad and PowerPoint for iPad.
mashable.com
In His First Public Event As Microsoft’s Chief Executive, Mr. Nadella, 46 Provided A Stark Contrast To His Predecessor, Steve Ballmer
Nadella kicked off the presentation with a fluid, low-key introduction to Microsoft's approach to the new mobile, cloud-centric world of computing, in his first public appearance since taking the helm 52 days ago.
thestar.com.my
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Microsoft on Thursday launched Office for iPad as a free suite of its flagship productivity software for Office 365.
Image via www.pcmag.comDressed in a black polo shirt and dark jeans, the 46-year-old computer scientist threw in some geek humor and lines of poetry from T.S. Eliot, marking a change in style from his energetic predecessor Steve Ballmer. His lack of references to Windows indicated a deeper strategic shift
thestar.com.myMr. Nadella struck a more humble tone and acknowledged that Microsoft must make its applications and services available wherever its customers want to use them, which these days is often on non-Microsoft devices.
nytimes.com
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gives his presentation at the launch of Microsoft Windows 8 in October 2012.
Image via www.independent.co.ukTim Cook, Apple’s Chief Executive, And Satya Nadella Even Engaged In A Friendly Exchange On Twitter
"Welcome to the #iPad and @AppStore!" Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook tweeted after the announcement. "Thanks @tim_cook, excited to bring the magic of @Office to iPad customers," Nadella tweeted back.
thestar.com.my
However, Office For iPad Is Not As Great As It Sounds
They’re not perfect — there are some shocking feature gaps — but Microsoft has done a more than admirable job of finding the middle ground between Office Suite familiarity and the iPad's native, touch-and-gesture responsiveness.
mashable.com
Office on iPad feels powerful, personal, and usable for the most part, but you can't do absolutely everything on the go. We couldn't find a way to add a video to a PowerPoint presentation, for example. You'll need to use a Windows client.
theverge.com
They’re all free, though the functionality for these versions is very limited if you're not an Office subscriber: you can review documents and even present PowerPoint files, but you cannot edit or create anything new. If you want to create new documents and edit and save others, you’ll have to buy an Office 365 Home subscription for $99 a year.
mashable.com
Critics Say Microsoft Waited Far Too Long To Bring Office To The iPad
To some, the move is a refreshing sign of a new Microsoft, one slowly unshackling itself from an era when its major decisions were made in deference to Windows, Microsoft’s operating system.
nytimes.com
But skeptics wonder if Microsoft has waited too long, giving people who use iPads, especially business professionals, years to get used to life without it and giving an opening to start-ups and Apple’s competing products
nytimes.com
Easy to use, touch-friendly work apps like Haiku Deck, Quip, Smartsheet and Evernote, not to mention Google Apps, have quickly gained a following among younger users who have never worked with Office applications, or relish the change.
thestar.com.my
