Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made an off-handed remark in calling Office 2013 “magical,” a comment often cited of Apple products. But this time around it seems Microsoft got some stuff right, according to testers.
Microsoft’s latest version of Office pushes customers toward using cloud-based services that makes the suite of applications available on any device — PC, tablet or phone — and has a user interface tuned to work with the touch-centric Windows 8 operating system.
The combination of the new Office with Windows 8 and Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud storage make an environment that is more productive than the traditional Office, says Ballmer. “Together I think they’re quite magical,” he says.
Details about the new Office help bring together in a more cohesive way new and updated products that Microsoft has announced recently — the latest operating system, Windows 8, the cloud service SkyDrive, and the new PC/tablets called Surface.
The company’s vision is that consumers will buy a Windows 8 device such as Surface and subscribe for an Office service that provides cloud access to the applications, automatic upgrades, extra cloud storage and Skype minutes for calling regular phones from Office apps. The service accommodates multiple users and devices within a family, for example.
The Surface devices can operate with a full keyboard and mouse or act as tablets controlled via touchscreen, so they can readily handle applications in whatever mode best suits the user.
The changes Microsoft made go more than skin deep, with some very useful new features in many of the applications, such as improved markup and the ability to edit PDFs in Word, the ability to quickly find and insert graphics from the Web in PowerPoint, new data visualization tools in Excel and an improved Navigation pane in Outlook. 2010, and based on this first beta looks to be a worthy successor that’s well worth the upgrade. On the whole, Microsoft has done most things right in this new Office version, says Computerworld reviewer Preston Gralla.
Read Gralla’s review that focuses on Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and other apps.
To download this pdf, you must become a Network World Insider (free registration is required). It is believed that Microsoft’s Office 2013 move is a shot across the bow of Google. And experts believe by focusing on the cloud, it puts Google right in its cross hairs.
Read on and find out what Office 2013 means to the users and an FAQ to answer any other lingering questions.
