Microsoft’s newest office productivity suite, slated to release the first half of 2010, will include a free web edition. An announcement at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference last week included the technical preview release of Office 14 and the reveal of the Office 2010 Web Applications, which includes lite versions of Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint. The web addition will include the “ribbon” menu introduced in the Office 2007 version and basic editing capabilities.
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MS Office 2010 Excel Screenshoot in IE
The ad-supported web version will be available to anyone with a free Windows Live account, currently around 400 million users. It will also be accessible on-premises for all Office volume licensing customers and via Microsoft OnlineServices, where customers will be able to purchase a subscription as part of a hosted offering.
The software giant even, somewhat surprisingly, announced that the online version will work not only work in its own Internet Explorer, but Firefox and Safari browsers as well. This could mean a foothold for users on a Linux computer and Apple’s iPhone which offers a scaled down version of Safari.
MS Office Word Screenshot in IE.
This is a smart move on Microsoft’s part as it offers an alternative to consumers and very small businesses that do not need the complex functionality of the Office suite and offers the enterprise level additional document sharing and accessibility. It is a strong answer to the increasingly competitive online office suites offered by Google Apps, Zoho, Adobe, Zimbra, and ThinkFree which have been gaining popularity in recent years.
With nearly 80% of businesses running MS Office productivity tools the deployment into the web access market may chop a few of the other online suite players at the knees. Microsoft will allow companies using Software Assurance to run the web applications behind their firewall (for free, it does not require a subscription) which provides extra comfort to those worried about storing sensitive information online. However, a play like this from Microsoft will likely be answered by likes of Google Apps, Zoho and others in the future.
Comments
I really don’t like the new ribbon interface. Microsoft is shooting themselfs in the foot over this new creation.
I tend to favour SSuite Office’s free office suites. They have a whole range of office suites that are free for download, and their interfaces are no more than 3 levels deep. So you don’t need to hunt for that elusive function you need.
Their software also don’t need to run on Java or .NET, so it makes the software very small and efficient.
ssuitesoft.com
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