After a long wait and lots of rumors, Microsoft has finally announced the first version of Office app for iPhone. The app has been announced only for the iPhone yet and will not be supporting iPad.
App isn’t Free!
The app isn’t free as users need to have Office 365 subscription to access it which costs. As Microsoft started providing cloud integration with the new Office so this app is going to really helpful as users will be allowed to access and edit their documents on their iPhones.
The app has been announced today and it allows users to view and edit their documents. There are four tabs at bottom consisting Recent, Open, New and Settings gear. Once we tap on recent then all our recent docs will be there.
The app is good at keeping documents categorized according to Word, Excel and Power Point slides but still there are lots of confusing things inside while doing the edits which needs to be improve.
It looks same as of Office app which is compatible for Windows Phone 8 OS. The app offers SkyDrive integration along with document creation option and off course the Settings option.
Word, Excel and Power Point
The Word part of the app is good while using on the iPhone but Power Point and Excel needs some serious improvements. There are basics options available which we need while writing any new document like cut, copy, paste, text format, alignment, etc. To get option while editing any documents you need to double tap and there you’re with the options.
When I opened a word document then the app asked me to update the version but I was allowed to use in the current version as well which will miss out new features off course.
The Excel app offers simple interface but I seriously want this app on the iPad as iPhone display is too small to view the complete sheet yet the available tools are good enough to edit and complete Excel sheets on the go.
The app is compatible with the iPhone 4 and higher models and it also supports iPod touch (5th generation running iOS 6.1 or higher). If you don’t have Office 365 subscription then you need to buy one for you which you’ll be able to use on your Windows PC or laptop or Surface and now on your iPhone. On other hand, if you already have membership then just sign in with your Microsoft account and password.
Just A Basic App
In short, the app is very basic and Microsoft has designed it for letting users to use Office while on the go on their iPhone. Right now, Microsoft has refused to develop any compatible app for iPad but I think Microsoft will change the mind soon as this app will be great on iPad.
You can get to the app on the iTunes store from this link.
App will receive a tough competition from the iWork app and other third party apps for using Office on the iPhone but I think the UI will help Microsoft to attract initial customers who already got Office 365 subscription.
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