Microsoft Releases Office for iPad
Lucifer, call the furnace repairman: Microsoft finally unveiled the much-rumored iPad version of its popular Office productivity suite. Office for iPad includes the familiar Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, available as individual downloads. Microsoft previously made another Office app, OneNote, free for Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows and Windows Phone. Those wanting unrestricted use of the other iPad apps will be disappointed. Although anyone can download Office for iPad to harness it as a reading and presenting tool, access to editing features requires an Office 365 subscription, like its iPhone sibling. Such subscriptions start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 a year for personal versions of Office 365. Microsoft today has good news for iPhone and Android users, as well: the Office Mobile apps for those platforms are now free for home use (businesses still need to pay). This brings those mobile apps in line with the also-gratis Office Mobile app for Windows Phone.The announcement came at a San Francisco media event keynoted by Satya Nadella in his first major appearance as the company’s new chief executive.
Surprised to see no support for arabic or indic scripts, both available in win word and iwork. Affects about 1 billion people.