As part of a strategic shift toward embracing Web-based solutions, Microsoft plans to deliver Office Web applications. Microsoft will deliver Office Web applications to consumers through Office Live, which is a consumer service with both ad-funded and subscription offers.LOS ANGELES—Microsoft has announced plans to deliver Office Web applications—lightweight
versions of Office, delivered through browsers.
In an interview with eWEEK at the Microsoft Professional Developers
Conference here, Takeshi Numoto, general manager for Office client at Microsoft,
said as part of a strategic shift toward embracing Web-based solutions,
Microsoft plans to deliver Office Web applications. Office Web applications will ship as part of Office 14, the next version of
Office.
Numoto then demonstrated the new Office Web applications capability during a
keynote speech at the event.
Meanwhile, in a Q&A on the Microsoft PressPass Web site, Chris
Capossela, senior vice president of the Microsoft Business Division, said:
“We’re announcing that as part of the next release of Office, Microsoft will
provide Office Web applications—lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint
and OneNote—delivered through the browser. With these new applications people
will now be able to create, edit and collaborate on Office documents through
the browser. What’s great is this provides a consistent Office experience
when and where our customers want it most regardless of whether they are
accessing their Office documents through the PC, phone or browser.”
Microsoft is “on a path to deliver all our technology as software and services—and
today is an important milestone in this journey,” Capossela said.
And with this new 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, he said.
For images of Microsoft's Office Web applications, click here.
“This is the kind of flexibility that comes from the software-plus-services
approach,” he added.
Microsoft will deliver Office Web applications to consumers through Office
Live, a consumer service with both ad-funded and subscription offers, Capossela
said.
Yet, he added, “for business customers, we will offer Office Web
applications as a hosted subscription service and also through existing volume
licensing agreements.”
Application Development 
