Microsoft has unveiled the newest version of the company’s popular suite of Office software: Office 15.
“We are taking bold steps at Microsoft,” CEO Steve Ballmer said at the press conference in San Francisco. “The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light up when paired with Windows 8.”
Now a cloud-based subscription service, the new Office is tied to you rather than your computer. As updates are released during your subscription period, you’ll get them for free. Heavily tied to the cloud, Office saves documents by default to the cloud, allowing you to access your content while on the go on other devices such as your tablet and phone.
This comes as good news now that cloud services are taking deep root into our computing lives. It will necessitate Uganda businesses and people to adopt the web more in order to make the most of these cloud offerings
Office 15 will be included on ARM-based Windows 8 devices, including Microsoft’s self-branded Surface tablet. It will also be available as a standalone product, with pricing and availability set to come.
§ Office 365 Home Premium — designed for families and consumers. This service also includes an additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage and 60 minutes of Skype world minutes per month.
§ Office 365 Small Business Premium — designed for small businesses. This service also includes business-grade email, shared calendars, website tools and HD web conferencing.
§ Office 365 ProPlus — designed for enterprise customers who want advanced business capabilities and the flexibility to deploy and manage in the cloud.
Purchase of the Office 15 suite will be more tied to the cloud hence Uganda and Africa in general will need to embrace web passed payment if we are to tap into the benefits of this cloud distribution model.