Sam Oliver
Users of Microsoft's mobile productivity suite for iOS have new storage and synchronization options for documents, following an update to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that adds support for Apple's iCloud.
Microsoft's vaunted word processor, spreadsheet and presentation apps now use iCloud as a document storage provider. Documents can be opened, edited, and saved directly to and from the service for users on iOS 8.
Alongside iCloud support, Microsoft promises unspecified "bug fixes" in the latest versions.
The update comes just over three months after Microsoft overhauled the suite to allow users to create and edit documents without an Office365 subscription. Those new versions used Dropbox as a backend storage provider, and also brought the suite to the iPhone.
Microsoft brought Office to the iPad last March after years of stop-and-start development. In January, the company added Outlook, based on technology acquired from former top-selling iOS email app Accompli.
Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint version 1.6 are now available as free downloads from the App Store.
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
Oliver Haslam
18 Comments
I guess when they have no alternative mobile business they had to do this. I suspect most iDevices users will be more than happy with iWork but this may be a great help to those stuck in corporate 'must use Office' type situations. Ironically it could well mean even less chance for anyone buying a mobile device from Microcrap. No need at all now.
But, still no Calendar and Contact synchronization with Outlook. What will it take?
As nice as saving to iCloud is for iOS versions, it still doesn't get my mac unchained from OneDrive with the 2011 software. MS needs to hurry up and get the mac desktop version compatible with the iOS version for cloud functionality.
I really appreciate Microsoft for making outstanding efforts to support Apple's solid platform. They make some of the best mobile apps on iOS...starting with OneNote.
As nice as saving to iCloud is for iOS versions, it still doesn't get my mac unchained from OneDrive with the 2011 software. MS needs to hurry up and get the mac desktop version compatible with the iOS version for cloud functionality.
MS is coming out with a new MAC version of office! While your 2011 will never see that kind of support, the 2015 version I guess should.