Microsoft's Office Web Apps Are Open for Business

By  |  Monday, June 7, 2010 at 7:54 pm

Microsoft has announced that the consumer versions of its new Office Web Apps–browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote–are now available to anyone who cares to check them out. They’re headquarted at office.live.com, and you need a Live ID to access them.

I wrote about the Office Web Apps when I covered Office 2010 a few weeks ago. Certain things about them are impressive–mainly the desktop-esque look and feel and much-better-than-average support for Microsoft’s own file formats. Overall, though, I found them frustratingly rudimentary: Years after Google and Zoho jumpstarted the category of Web-based suites, Microsoft is entering the market that lacks features as basic as the ability to move elements around on the page. They’re far more interesting as adjuncts to Office 2010–a pretty solid upgrade–than as a self-contained competitor to other online productivity packages. Maybe that was Microsoft’s intention all along.

If you give them a try, let us know what you think.

 
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5 Comments For This Post

  1. ediedi Says:
    June 8th, 2010 at 4:31 am

    Wanted to try it out, but I can’t find any option for editing files (can only upload, sgare, create folders..). Am I missing something?

  2. Todd Says:
    June 8th, 2010 at 11:40 am

    Hi all,

    I just wanted to stop by and let everyone know that you can win a free copy of Office 2010 through our ‘Win 2010’ contest- just swing by our Facebook page or Twitter account to enter the contest. Feel free to send me any questions you might have about the contest or Office 2010, I would be more than happy to help.

    Thanks,

    Microsoft Office Outreach Team
    Todd_Oteam@hotmail.com
    http://www.facebook.com/Office
    http://twitter.com/Office

  3. Cassandra Says:
    June 8th, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    Yep, you heard it right! Office 2010 Web Apps are now available, just in time for the Office 2010 launch later this month. If you are as excited as we are about the launch, you can pre-order your copy of Office 2010 now – http://store.microsoft.com/Category.aspx?CatId=210

    For conversation about Office 2010 and Web Apps, join the Office Page on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/office.

    Cheers,
    Cassandra
    Microsoft Windows Outreach

  4. Alan Says:
    May 19th, 2011 at 11:49 am

    There's still a big difference between the immediacy and flexibility of Office vs. Google Apps. Desktop computing feels crisp compared to the gooeyness of the cloud. Sure, you can get work done, and improvements in bandwidth will level the playing field, but if I need to jot down a quick thought or ruminate about medieval cheese making for 300 pages, I'll always reach for the desktop. Word on the desktop is transparent and sturdy.

    Window Replacement Cost Estimator

  5. Sarah Spacey Says:
    July 26th, 2011 at 9:03 pm

    I guess the Microsoft Office web apps are not meant to replace the desktop version completely. The design lacks the crisp feel that the desktop version provides. However, as I am undergoing some office refurbishment which includes the replacement of my old computers, I will have to make do with the web apps until I manage to lay my hands on the newest copy of Microsoft Office

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