Microsoft has been working for around a year on bringing its Office suite of applications to Google Chromebook devices. Well, the wait is now over and ALL Chromebooks can now run Microsoft Office.
Microsoft Office has been available on Google’s Chromebook Pixel for a while now, but the arrival of the suite to all Chromebooks is a big move for Microsoft and a nod to the growing popularity of Google’s lightweight laptops.
The Office application for Chromebook is the same as the Android app, only Microsoft has now optimised this version for use on larger-screened Chromebooks. You will get all the same features you get on the mobile version, but now they’ll be easier to use.
There is a caveat, however, as Microsoft’s Office is only available for free on Chromebooks with displays up to 10.1inches. Anything bigger means you’ll have to fork out for an Office 365 subscription.
Either way, it’s great to see ChromeOS getting the attention it deserves. As someone that uses Chromebooks more or less exclusively when away from my desktop, I will almost certainly be checking this out in the very near future.
I do love Google Docs, it has everything I need to get stuff done on the move, but, given the choice, I would always choose Office 365 over it, as it is simply more my style – it’s also more feature-rich.
Office for Chromebooks is now available, and reports suggest it is showing up on many, many Chromebooks already. If you cannot see it yet, don’t fret, it will take a time before the roll-out is 100% complete.
In the meantime, hang back and revel in the fact that Microsoft is now viewing Chromebooks as a serious platform.
by rgoodwin via Featured Articles
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