Microsoft Unveils Office 365 With Cloud, Web Apps & Many More (Available For Download)

The software giant Microsoft on Monday unveiled the next version of Microsoft Office which indeed is a dramatic departure from the software that millions of users have come to know, built for the cloud and for touch-based computing and packed with features that make it more social and, Microsoft hopes, more intuitive to use than past releases. With this version Microsoft is offering consumers the option of performing many chores through a Web browser, rather than installing programs on their personal computers. Users will still be able to buy and install Office 2013, as the new version is called, but Microsoft plans to offer incentives for people to opt for a Web-based subscription variant known as Office 365. 

 "Your modern Office thinks cloud first," said CEO Steve Ballmer, at an event here Monday.

Office 2013 is designed to work on traditional PCs, tablets or hybrid devices that combine touchscreen capability on a clam-shell style laptop, Microsoft said. Hardware options include devices that use conventional PC-style chips from Intel Corp., or those running cellphone-style chips based on designs from ARM Holdings PLC, the company said.

Microsoft already offers Office 365 as a companion service to businesses, and the company has a little-discussed bare-bones online version of Office called Office Web Apps. But Microsoft says this is Office's biggest foray in the cloud. Microsoft said the overhaul is designed to respond to issues such as the desire for consumers to synchronize and preserve data files as they move among multiple mobile devices and PCs. Even for people who opt to buy rather than subscribe to the software, Microsoft said Office will automatically save and store files on SkyDrive—its online-file-storage service—letting users return to where they left off in documents.

Users who opt for the subscription service will receive an additional 20 gigabytes of SkyDrive storage capacity on top of the standard seven gigabytes given to new customers. They will have rights to future upgrades as well as to use Office on up to five computers or mobile devices. 

Customer & Technical Preview of the new Office 365 is available now to Download and test.