Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Office for iPad Dominates Apple App Store

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    April 8, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      iPads

      iPad owners have propelled Microsoft to the top of the charts on the rival Apple App Store.

      A week after the March 27 launch of Office for iPad, the company announced that the new apps had amassed millions of downloads. On April 3, the company tweeted, “More than 12 million downloads of Word, Excel, PPT [PowerPoint] & OneNote for #iPad from the @AppStore.” The apps continue to do well as they enter their second week of availability.

      As of this writing, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint for iPad firmly occupy the top three spots in the free app category at Apple’s App Store. Office for iPad apps are available for free but require an Office 365 subscription to unlock its full functionality, including document editing.

      Reviews are decidedly mixed, however. On one hand, many users laud the apps’ desktop-like capabilities, spritely performance and touch-friendly features. (Julia White, general manager of Microsoft Office, said during a March 27 press event that the apps deliver “all the satisfying features that you expect in Office.”)

      Yet many users deducted points for Microsoft’s approach to pricing.

      Office 365 plans, with apps for up to five PCs or Macs and five tablets, start at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. It’s a sticking point for several users that gave the apps low scores. Currently, the average ratings for Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Office apps hover around three to three-and-a-half stars (out of five).

      In a blog post, Eric Wilfrid, a director of program management on the Office for iPad engineering team and a former member of the Office for Mac (MacBU) team, suggested that Microsoft may be revisiting its approach to pricing in the future. For the time being, the way users pay for “the Office 365 service is inseparable from the service experience itself,” he said in a blog post.

      He added that Microsoft had “heard a lot of feedback in the app store about unlocking full Office for iPad functionality solely through an Office 365 subscription, and we’ve especially heard feedback about the subscription we offer in the apps.” In the meantime, his group shared some information on the long-awaited new version of Office for Mac.

      In an April 8 Reddit AMA (ask me anything) session, Erik Schwiebert, an Office for Mac software engineer, revealed how Microsoft’s work on the iPad apps is now helping bring the Mac version closer to release. “The code for Office for iPad and Office for Mac is shared, as the development platforms for both are very similar,” he wrote.

      “The iPad work required us to create an all-new UI and to redesign the interface between UI and the internal logic,” added Schwiebert. “That work actually helps us with de-Carbonizing Office for the Mac, instead of delaying or hindering it. We’re able to create new Cocoa UI on the Mac and tie it into the new logic interface now.”

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×