Office Sway, a toolset for making interactive presentations that adapt to a variety of screen sizes from Microsoft, is now available for iPad on Apple’s App Store.
An updated version of the Sway app for the iPhone, the new app “is optimized for the larger screen,” noted the Sway Team in a company blog post. “It allows you to create, view and share Sways in landscape and portrait mode and also includes a few additional capabilities, such as the Remix! button for quickly trying out different layouts and styles,” they continued.
The tablet-enabled app update follows last month’s launch of Sway for Office 365 for organizations that are subscribed to the business and education plans of the productivity suite. Customers signed up to the First Release early access program can now access Sway alongside other Office staples, including Outlook, Word and Excel.
Backed by Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, Sway is an alternative of sorts to the company’s own PowerPoint presentation software. Users can create shareable presentations using text and images, along with a variety of content from online sources, including YouTube and Twitter, with drag-and-drop ease. Inspired by the company’s machine-learning technology, Sway automatically positions elements into eye-pleasing, responsive layouts that seamlessly transition from mobile to PC display sizes.
With the latest iOS release, Sway offers iPad users a more streamlined authoring process.
“Building on your feedback, it is now easier than ever to add pictures, videos and text to your Sway,” said the Sway group. “Previewing your creations is also quicker than before—simply switch between Edit and Preview at the top to see the polished and cohesive design taking shape as you create.”
The iOS app is also now available in more languages. “Now you can use the Sway interface in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish (in addition to English),” noted Microsoft. “Sway for iPhone and iPad are also now available in the App Store for 43 new markets where those are official languages.”
Finally, Microsoft is working on a new native app for Windows 10, which ships on July 29.
“We will deliver a Sway native app experience for Windows 10 later this summer, and we couldn’t be more excited. Sway for Windows will deliver a rich, touch-first experience that syncs your Sways across your devices and the Web, helping you quickly create and share Sways that look great on any screen, for anyone you share with,” stated the company.
The company also hinted at the possibility of a Sway app for smartphones running Windows 10. “Just as with Windows 10, Sway’s initial release on Windows 10 will be for PCs and tablets.”
Earlier this month, Gabriel Aul, Microsoft’s Operating Systems group general manager, revealed that Windows 10 mobile will miss the July 29 launch of the PC and tablet editions. “While we’re making good progress, we need more time to deliver the optimal experience for mobile devices, and you can expect Windows 10 Mobile to release broadly later this year,” he said in a statement.
