PowerPoint for iPad is one of the Office apps where Microsoft will now let users create and edit documents for free.
Posted on 11/06/2014 11:21:01 PM PST by Swordmaker
In a significant change for its flagship software applications, and a potentially risky move for its business, Microsoft will let users create and edit documents without a paid subscription in its Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps on iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets.
The change, announced this morning, makes Microsoft more competitive by eliminating one of the biggest criticisms of the Office apps for iPad — the requirement to pay for an annual Office 365 subscription of $69.99/year or $99.99/year for editing functionality.
Also this morning, the company rolled out the first preview version of its upcoming Office apps for Android tablets, and provided a first glimpse of its new touch-oriented Office apps for the upcoming Windows 10 operating system.
In addition, the company updated its Office apps for iPhone to adopt the user interface that was first rolled out for iPad.
The moves are part of Microsoft’s broader effort, under new CEO Satya Nadella, to boost the company’s presence across a variety of platforms — even those that compete with the flagship Windows operating system, which along with Office has fueled the company’s growth for decades.
Microsoft will still require an Office 365 subscription for advanced mobile editing such as fine-tuned customization of fonts charts, tables, and pictures in the Office apps, as well as business collaboration features. Office 365 subscriptions also come with large amounts of OneDrive storage. But the change puts a major chunk of Microsoft’s revenue at risk, by delivering free functionality that will be good enough for many users.
The company is betting that the shift will help its business in the long run by significantly increasing its overall base of users — expanding the number of people who use Office on a regular basis and might ultimately consider a subscription for advanced features.
“We’d like to broaden the funnel to include way more customers, as we continue to grow our subscription business,” said John Case, Microsoft Office vice president, in an interview with GeekWire this week at his office on Microsoft’s Redmond campus.
Case disclosed that Microsoft has seen 40 million downloads of its Office for iPad apps since their release in March. “But that’s still a fraction of all the customers that have ever bought an iPad,” he said. “I want as many of them as possible to be in an Office environment, whether that’s the free environment or the paid environment.”
So what about people who paid for an Office 365 subscription just to get editing functionality on the iPad? Case said the company’s customer service representatives will work with anyone who wants a refund to make sure they’re treated fairly.
“I don’t think that’s going to be common,” Case said, citing the advanced features of Office, cloud storage, Skype minutes and other aspects of a paid Office 365 subscription. “The hope is that most folks will look at that and say, that whole package is well worth it.”
In another surprise move, Microsoft earlier this week announced a partnership to integrate Office with Dropbox, one of the company’s primary rivals in the market for cloud storage and collaboration.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Sure, encourage people to buy something besides Windows products. Seems pretty strange to me.
Get them used to doing things the Microsoft way.
meanwhile keep ripping off Windows users
Perhaps they are hoping for some kind of a "halo" effect? People who use their apps on their iPhones and iPads will buy Microsoft Office on their home computers and work computers??? Sorry, I can't see it working that way.
Google Docs is getting to them in Redmond
How do you rip off Windows users with giving it away for free? I guess because the Windows users are subsidizing it. . . but all they have to do is buy an iPhone or iPad and do their work there. Not an optimal solution, to my way of thinking, though.
Apple would be paying Microsoft, just as they pay every app developer for apps Apple accepts.
Microsoft probably has some premium arrangement of some kind.
Microsoft trying to make like open-source is like Romney trying to make like conservative.
Best user response is to ignore the uncool ones.
Sorry, no. Apple doesn't pay for apps that are distributed through the app store. They only pay for third party apps they distribute with iOS. Users pay for apps that have a price. Apple gets 30% of the sales price. However, if the sales price is zero, then Apple gets 30% of zero. Nothing.
And penalize those who buy their OS.
I’m very glad to hear this. However, I don’t know if this would make me use the Word app over the MS Onenote app. Onenote for ipad is a very good, feature rich text editer. If it let you handwrite in it with a stylus (like most ipad note taking apps do) it would be perfect. But I do look forward to playing with the unlocked version of Word on the Ipad. Good move, Bill.
Open Office and a few others are starting to look better and better.
In contrast Taylor Swift removed all her albums that were streaming free on Spodify. She has a new album out that she wants people to buy
Spodify was paying her next to nothing to stream her music
So is Apple paying Microsoft a royalty to allow Office for free on iPads???
No.
Thanks.... a loser strategy from MS and based on MS weakness....
So weak that MS might give free Windows 10 upgrades to Windows 7 users like me.
Obviously MS wants its products front and center at any cost. It prizes product usage and visibility above all
While Apple gets superior-excellent product usage and visibility plus makes $$$$ off everything it does
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