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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.”