It seems that Microsoft is moving to the Cloud offerings as expected. Microsoft has announced that the next version of Office will include Web-based versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote. Microsoft has offred Exchange and SgarePoint on the web a few moth ago. Offering office 2010 as a free service does not mean that the desktop version will not be available, Microsoft will still provide the desktop version that includes more features than the what they are offering on the cloud. This is in addition to Microsoft Live Office Workspaces, which lets users of the desktop Office suite collaborate online, Office Web Apps will be full lightweight versions of the products, allowing users to create, edit, save, and share docs on the Web. And, like obvious competitor Google Docs, Office Web Apps will be available for free.
“Office Web applications will be available in three ways: through Windows Live, where more than 400 million consumers will have access to Office Web applications at no cost; on-premises for all Office volume licensing customers including more than 90 million Office annuity customers; and via Microsoft Online Services, where customers will be able to purchase a subscription as part of a hosted offering.”
Following Google Docs, which requires a Google account, Microsoft will require Microsoft Windows Live account in order to use Office Web Apps. Microsoft says that the new version of Office and its accompanying Web version won’t be available until the first half of next year but Microsoft launched a preview site and a series of videos.
One change for Microsoft Office 2010 is Groove that now has a new name: Microsoft® SharePoint Workspace 2010. This reflects the focus of Microsoft on SharePoint as their fastest growing product ever and their focus on expanding the integration between Office and SharePoint. The change involve more than just having a new name, SharePoint Workspace 2010 expands the boundaries of collaboration by offering fast access, online and off, to all SharePoint content. Synchronize SharePoint libraries and lists to your computer with just a few clicks, and then easily update documents and forms offline.
