Microsoft finally launches Office Suite for iPad and it’s free(ish)

While an iOS version of Microsoft Office has been publically available for over a year, it requires a $100 yearly Microsoft Office 365 subscription fee to do anything other than read content, and did not feature an iPad variant. Pretty crummy considering how purposeful tablets are becoming; converting PowerPoint presentations to pdfs so everyone in your meeting can view them is very clunky to say to least. In what appears to be a gift from newly appointed CEO, Satya Nadella, Microsoft finally releases an iPad-specific version of Microsoft Office. And best of all: It’s free-ish (to view)!

So here’s the breakdown: Microsoft Office general manager Julia White confirmed in a press event this morning that the product suite is being released for the iPad, and unlike the iPhone version which debuted a year ago, also includes a free viewing-only version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint available for anyone who does not need the subscription features.

On the surface features
Office for iPad uses the same UI elements we’re familiar with from the Windows and Mac desktop version, but differs from its iPhone cousin in its more robust editing features. 365 subscribers have access to re-flowing, formatting, touch handles, and even access to Microsoft’s Cloud OneDrive system, to synchronize documents with all their devices.

The touchscreen aspect of a tablet intuitively adds a form of ease of access not available with the mouse and keyboard. During the press event, White demonstrated how dragging an image file through a body of text causes the text to automatically wrap around the image, formatting it in the best possible fit. Resizing, rotating, or duplicating the image, or adding shadows, is accomplished through simple touch.

Limitations
However, the software is not without its limitations. Adding a video to a PowerPoint presentation is unintuitive and may require a Windows client. Presentations smother the entire screen making it difficult to separately consult notes. Other users have noted that the touch targets feel too small, making fat fingers to hitting the wrong editing mode.

Excel
A nifty feature that seems to almost thrive off of the finger-to-screen contact is Excel’s chart recommendations that automatically preview live renders and adapt to changing spreadsheet data.  Most software reviewers will agree that this not a Windows app lazily ported to the iPad, but something designed exclusively around the iPad. Complementing this notion is the inclusion of custom numeric keyboard made to simplify adding equations and formulas on Excel.

Bottom line
Microsoft Office for iPad is part of CEO Satya Nadella’s goal to spread Office 365 across both desktop and mobile devices. This is extremely beneficial in light Microsoft Office being something of an “international gold standard” in the business world. Integrating the iPad is the logical next step since it too is popular amongst businessmen and woman.