Microsoft has unveiled the new Microsoft Office.
The next release features an intuitive design that works with touch, stylus, mouse or keyboard across new Windows devices, including tablets.
The new Office unlocks modern scenarios in reading, note-taking, meetings and communications and will be delivered to subscribers through a cloud service.
“We are taking bold steps at Microsoft. The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light-up when paired with Windows 8,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Office responds to touch as naturally as it does to keyboard and mouse. Swipe your finger across the screen or pinch and zoom to read your documents and presentations. Author new content and access features with the touch of a finger.
Users can use a stylus to create content, take notes and access features. Handwrite email responses and convert them to text. Use your stylus as a laser pointer when presenting. Color your content and erase your mistakes with ease.
OneNote and Lync represent the first new Windows 8 style applications for Office. These applications are designed to deliver touch-first experiences on a tablet. A new radial menu in OneNote makes it easy to access features with your finger.
Office Home and Student 2013 RT, which contains new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote applications, will be included on ARM-based Windows 8 devices, including Microsoft Surface.
Office saves documents to SkyDrive by default, so your content is always available across your tablet, PC and phone. Your documents are also available offline and sync when you reconnect.
Once signed in to Office, users personalized settings, including recently used files, templates and custom dictionary, roam with users across devices. Office even remembers where users last left off and brings back to that spot in a single click.
With a subscription, users can access Office even when users are away from their PC by streaming full-featured applications to an Internet-connected Windows-based PC.
The new Office is available as a cloud-based subscription service. As subscribers, consumers automatically get future upgrades in addition to exciting cloud services including Skype world minutes and extra SkyDrive storage. Subscribers receive multiple installs for everyone in the family and across their devices.
While the full lineup of offerings and pricing plans will be announced in the fall, Ballmer discussed three new Office 365 subscription services. When available, each new subscription offer will include the new 2013 editions of the Office applications — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access. In addition, subscribers will receive future rights to version upgrades as well as per-use rights across up to five PCs or Macs and mobile devices.
