Office Web Apps integrate touch support on iPad and Windows 8, brace us for an Office 2013 world
Touch-friendliness is a centerpiece for the upcoming Office 2013, but don't fret if you prefer to live in the world of Office Web Apps ahead of time. As of new preview versions of both OWA and Office 365 …
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft has spent 2012 refusing to confirm a native Office client for Apple's tablet — February's fact-versus-fiction rundown of Office for iPad found plenty of demand but no product. Touch-enabled Office Web Apps are the interim answer: iPad owners get a usable Office experience through Safari without Microsoft shipping an iOS app.
The move also fits the broader touch-first refresh running through the Office family this year, including July's reveal of Windows Phone 8 Office features. With Office 2013 positioned around touch as its centerpiece, the previews of OWA and Office 365 extend that same design language to the browser ahead of the suite's launch.
First-order effects
- iPad and Windows 8 tablet users can edit documents with touch directly in the browser today via the new OWA and Office 365 previews, no native install required.
Second-order effects
- A credible browser-based Office on iPad lowers the pressure on Microsoft to ship a native iOS client, and raises the bar for Google's Docs to feel equally touch-capable on tablets.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Office evolves into a device-agnostic service delivered through browsers and Office 365 subscriptions, with the installed suite reserved for platforms where Microsoft controls the touch story — a structural shift from selling boxed software per device to renting capability across all of them.
The trend: Productivity suites are decoupling from the desktop, with touch-enabled web clients letting vendors like Microsoft follow users onto rival devices while the full touch-native experience waits for their own platforms.