Microsoft Makes Office Mobile Editing Free As in Freemium

An anonymous reader writes Microsoft today announced a significant change to its Office strategy for mobile devices: creating and editing is now free. The company also released standalone Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps for the iPhone, as well a new preview of these apps for Android tablets. Starting today, whether you're using an Office app on Android or iOS, you can create and edit content without an Office 365 subscription. The company is pitching this move as "More of Office for everyone."

Comments

I am impressed

[iamacat]

The company is trying something new. It may or may not work out for them, but if they keep exploring, they are bound to find something that succeeds. That, and the effort to really understand user needs through Windows 10 preview, tells me that there may be some how for MS to capture back some of their former success.

Re:I am impressed

[Anonymous Coward]

By "finding something new", you mean copying what Google has had available for some time now.

No he didn't even write "finding something new" so what are you quoting? He wrote "trying something new" and for Microsoft this is something new, this isn't just a web app in a container like Google Docs for iOS is, it is native productivity applications designed specifically for mobile platforms other than their own and offered free of charge.

Even if this were somebody elses idea what is this obsession with disparaging people for copying good ideas? Nobody should have a monopoly on ideas. There seems to be an obsession with "being first" even if you do a shit job of it, just look at the state of Samsung's "innovations" these days in an effort to beat Apple to the punch, it's all about being first rather than being any good.

Re:I am impressed

[stephanruby]

The company is trying something new. It may or may not work out for them, but if they keep exploring, they are bound to find something that succeeds.

They're not trying something new. They're just trying to keep up with the free competing alternatives.

...for MS to capture back some of their former success.

This strategy isn't going to win them any new marketshare. At best, it may prevent them from losing more marketshare.

In either case, people will still think of Microsoft Office 365 as a paid-only service. Similar things happened with Hotmail and Bing. Eventually, Hotmail and Bing matched Gmail and Google in terms of quality of their features, but this change took so long to happen, it didn't improve their marketshare despite all the money they spent in marketing and advertising.

Linus Torvalds won

[Anonymous Coward]

'If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I've won.' -- Linus Torvalds

Re:Linus Torvalds won

[Kjella]

Hardcore neckbeards won't agree. Android, although it has a Linux kernel, and a substantial userbase, and is easy to use, won't count because it doesn't have GNU and X and you can't go "sudo apt-get Msoffice &make &make-install"

Well, Linus never agreed that much with the FSF in the first place which is quite evident in many debates like over GPLv3. He wants to build the best kernel ever and if somebody else does something smart he'd like to study it and incorporate it into his project which is his interest in copyleft. Whether it's locked down for the end user to alter or not or if it's used to run open or closed source software isn't really any of his concern, while he picked GPL as his license he's never supported the four freedoms that RMS based it on. His ultimate victory would probably be more like Microsoft and Apple ditching their own kernel in favor of Linux so you'd have Windows/Linux, OS X/Linux, Android/Linux and GNU/Linux. Or really any variety that runs on top of his kernel.

subscription??

[Anonymous Coward]

without an Office 365 subscription

Subscription? To a.... word processor?

What foul sorcery is this?

Re:subscription??

[xaotikdesigns]

Subscription to the full office suite for five computers with free upgrades to the latest version, cloud storage, and a few other features. Still sucks, but it's a bit better than just a subscription to a word processor

Required to stay relevant

[merick]

I don't think this was so much of a desire to be innovative as it is to survive. With good-enough editors available on mobile devices, web services, and PCs, MS has to move down-market or risk entire new generations never using or needing their Office software.

As it is, my daughter in middle-school has had some Office required assignments which prompted angry parent responses. I spoke with several other tech-oriented parents with kids at the school and none of them have MS Office at home. They all use either LibreOffice, OpenOffice or Apple's iWorks.

Microsoft is battling obsolescence. This is a good attempt to reach a generation that doesn't know or care about them.

Re:At least something not involving feminism these

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sick and tired of feminism being shoved down my throat on every single issue. I mean, aren't there other, perhaps more important, issues out there?

Oh yeah, I hear ya.

It's almost as annoying as someone who can't stay on fucking topic...

Freemium?

[sootman]

Editing: now free!

In-app purchases:

• Bold: $0.99
• Italics: $0.99
• Left/Right/Center/Justify: $0.99
• "Power pack": numbered lists, bulleted lists, indent/outdent: $4.99

PS: Speaking of lists: Slashdot, why don't you fucking render bulleted lists?!?!?