Have to work on your presentation, document or spreadsheet while on the go? No need to bring your laptop or pay for additional licensing, Microsoft is now offering FREE comprehensive mobile version of Microsoft Office for your iOS and Android devices. The free versions for phones and tablets will do most of the essential functions you would use on the full blown PC version.
While Microsoft has owned the business market for years in the PC/ laptop space (and it accounts for a significant portion of their revenue – 30%), they have struggled with revenue from consumers and to remain relevant in the mobile space. Both Apple and Google have offered a suite of free productivity apps that compete with Office. How do you compete with free? If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!
In the past Microsoft had shied away from offering mobile versions of their software on these platforms as a means to push their own mobile OS solution. However, after a change in the marketplace and a shift in strategy with their Office 365 products (a software are a service platform) Microsoft is trying new models. “’We’d like to dramatically increase the number of people trying Office,” John Case, corporate vice president of Office marketing at Microsoft, said about the new offering. ‘This is about widening the funnel.’”
“By making an unabridged version of Office available free for mobile, Microsoft is betting it can get even more people to start using the software, without stealing sales from the PC and Mac versions of the product, where it still makes truckloads of money.”
Only time will tell if this strategy will pay off for Microsoft, but in the meantime, enjoy!
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