Microsoft offers free Office to Android andiPhone users

[Dinesh jain]

Starting today the full version of Microsoft
Office is free for consumers using iPhones,
iPads and Android phones. Unlike earlier when
the apps were available for free but full
functionality required a subscription to Office
365, the updated Office apps like MS Word, MS
Excel and Ms PowerPoint will offer both editing
and opening of the Office files for free to
smartphone and tablet users.

Microsoft on Thursday also announced the
Office (Preview Version) for Android tablets.
The final version of the Office optimised for
Android tablets will be available in early 2015.

"Anytime someone has an idea or an
inspiration, we want to empower them to take
action," said John Case, corporate vice
president, Office, Microsoft. "With over a billion
Office customers worldwide, and over 40
million downloads on the iPad, it's clear that
Office applications are what people want to
use to get things done."

"With Office on nearly every device, it's
incredibly important to us that customers have
a consistent experience and the ability to do
more - anywhere and everywhere. So, starting
today, people can create and edit Office
content on iPhones, iPads, and soon, Android
tablets using Office apps without an Office 365
subscription," Case wrote on the company's
official blog .
Microsoft offers free Office to Android and iPhone users

 

[iSK]

Last year, soon after CEO Satya
Nadella took the helm of Microsoft,
one of the biggest announcements to
emerge from the company was
that Office apps for other platforms
like Android and iOS. This year, the
company brings yet another surprise,
and a big one. Android and iOS users
can now download Microsoft Office
apps for free, without the need for
an Office 365 subscription.

Microsoft has released a press
statement that says, “Microsoft took
the next step to bring the
productivity of Office to everyone
with new Office apps and experiences
for the iPhone and iPad, a preview of
Office apps for Android tablets, and
the ability for customers using these
devices to create and edit Office
content without a subscription.”

So what is the logic behind this
move? Microsoft would like you to
believe that it’s all business as usual.
“It’s an extension of the strategy that
we’ve got. It’s not a total strategic
shift, as much of an extension of the
existing strategy”, the company told
TheVerge .

For those who are wondering
whether this will be a setback to
Microsoft’s revenue, it should be
noted that the company won’t be
extending the free functionality to
businesses, which is the major
source of revenue for the company.

This means that consumers with
documents on OneDrive for Business
or Dropbox for business, will have to
still pay for subscription. So, it will
continue to generate revenue from
businesses that rely on its
productivity apps and cloud services.

Interestingly, this piece of news
comes just a few days after Microsoft
announced its strategic deal with
Dropbox that will allow Office
software users to manage and share
files through Dropbox’s website and
mobile app. Microsoft said the
functionality would be included in the
next updates to the Office mobile
apps, to be rolled out in the next few
weeks, and online accessibility would
be available in the first half of 2015.

Microsoft's big surprise: Android, iPhone and iPad users can use Office apps for free Tech2 Mobile

 

[Sanjeev]

Microsoft's next surprise is free Office for iPad, iPhone, and Android

Microsoft's Office suite for iPad, iPhone, and Android is now free. In a surprise move, the software giant is shaking up its mobile Office strategy to keep consumers hooked to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. Starting today, you'll no longer need an Office 365 subscription to edit documents or store them in the cloud. The move comes just days after Microsoft announced a strategic partnership with Dropbox to integrate the cloud storage service into Office across desktop, mobile, and the web. You can now download Office for iPad and store all your documents on Dropbox without paying Microsoft anything at all. Microsoft is also releasing a brand new iPhone app today, alongside a preview of Office for Android tablets, all with Dropbox integration.

Microsoft's plans might sound crazy to most, and at first glance it's easy to come to that conclusion, but the company argues it's a matter of moving its free web apps to mobile. "It’s an extension of the strategy that we’ve got," explains Microsoft's head of Office marketing Michael Atalla. "It’s not a total strategic shift, as much of an extension of the existing strategy." Microsoft offers free Office apps online, and Atalla argues that recent development model changes inside Microsoft have allowed the company to open up editing functionality to mobile clients. "We’re taking that same user experience we provide online to the native apps of iOS and Android. We want to make sure that our customers can be productive across all the devices they have."

http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/6/7163789/microsoft-office-free-for-ipad-iphone-android

 

[Dinesh jain]

RE: Microsoft's next surprise is free Office for iPad, iPhone, and Android

already posted by me..
Microsoft offers free Office to Android andiPhone users

 

[iSK]

Good Share Sanjeev bhai & dinesh bhai. So good that its free.