{"id":54630,"date":"2013-11-05T02:16:15","date_gmt":"2013-11-05T00:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=54630"},"modified":"2025-07-02T01:03:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T08:03:28","slug":"rumor-microsoft-office-metro-apps-coming-late-springsummer-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/rumor-microsoft-office-metro-apps-coming-late-springsummer-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Rumor: Microsoft Office “Metro” apps coming late spring\/summer 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

Microsoft has every intention of making its office suite touch friendly but what’s taking so long? The company demonstrated a Metro-styled version of PowerPoint<\/a> at this year’s BUILD 2013<\/a> conference but we haven’t heard any news about its development since. Microsoft has also promised to bring Office<\/a> to the iPad<\/strong> but there’s little known about that project as well.<\/p>\n

Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet<\/em> has tried repeatedly to get Microsoft executives to speak about the current status of the iPad and Metro Office apps but was unsuccessful. She even speculates that Microsoft may be delaying Office for iPad to give Microsoft’s Surface line of tablets a chance to sell first<\/strong>. Still, creating Office for touch-based devices is no easy task as the entire UI has to be created from scratch. No existing version of Office has been made touch friendly, although there are some mobile versions that don’t share their core with Office. Foley expects to see the first “Metro-style” Office apps some time in late spring\/summer of 2014<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Office is still available on Windows 8.1<\/a> tablets but as desktop apps. Microsoft still hasn’t gotten rid of the jarring desktop experience on its Windows RT tablets like the Surface 2. This means users will have to jump into a limited version of the Windows desktop to do any work instead of using a native, touch friendly and tablet focused app.<\/p>\n

Microsoft will have to step up and quickly release Office for the iPad and a Metro equivalent if it wants to stay competitive. Apple recently made its iWork<\/a> software suite completely free<\/a> for new Mac<\/a> and iOS<\/a> devices. This is an aggressive move by Apple to lock more users into its app ecosystem. <\/p>\n

Can Microsoft compete with Apple’s free office suite?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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