It has been a long time coming, but it seems that Microsoft have finally realised that most businesspeople want to use Microsoft Office on their iPad. The company have recently released individual versions of their Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs that will work on an iPad, making it possible for users to switch seamlessly between PC, Mac, tablet and phone when working. The apps make intuitive use of the iPad’s touch screen, and ‘sharing’ features allow you to collaborate with others.
The trio of apps are listed separately in the App Store and (as with Office Mobile) each is free to download. Free versions of each app can only be used in read-only mode; users wishing to edit or create documents will require an Office 365 subscription.
There are plenty of free “Office-type” apps out there, but Office 365 may be the more attractive option to those using Microsoft Office on their desktop PC, Mac or laptop. The good news is that your iPad downloads won’t count towards the usual five-PC / Mac limit. Microsoft Office is also one of the only mobile office suites that works with Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint: if this is where you store your documents, it is advisable to continue with Office.