As part of a strategic companywide shift toward embracing web-based solutions, Microsoft on Tuesday announced plans to deliver Office web applications – lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote – through web browsers.
The company announced the news at the ongoing Professional Developers' Conference (PDC) in Los Angeles. PDC is Microsoft's annual gathering of engineers, and the event offers ample opportunity for the company to showcase its future plans.
According to Chris Capossela, Senior Vice President, Microsoft Business Division, people can use a browser to create, edit, and collaborate on Office documents. The experience is consistent, regardless of whether the documents are accessed through PC, phone, or browser.
The look and feel of the online versions will be similar to that of the desktop applications, though with fewer functions.
Editing a Word document in the online application
"With this development, people can benefit from Office as a service on their browser, as a downloadable application on their phone, and as software on their PCs. This is the kind of flexibility that our software plus services approach makes possible, and is helping us deliver the kind of innovation that businesses and consumers expect from Microsoft," he said.
Capossela explained that while Office is synonymous with desktop productivity, the idea of "desktop" has changed from a PC-centric notion to one in which people are empowered on the PC, on the phone, and with a browser.
The Office Web applications will be delivered to consumers through Office Live, a consumer service with both ad-funded and subscription offerings. Business customers can also receive Office Web applications as a hosted subscription service and through existing volume licensing agreements.
The new Office Web applications will work on Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Apple's Safari browsers. Microsoft said they will be available for a technical preview later this year.
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