14 DAY TRIAL // We already know that Microsoft is working on a touch-optimized version of Office that would be specifically aimed at the Modern environment included in Windows 8, but there are still no details as to when this new build of the productivity suite could reach the market.
The software giant has already teased the new version with several occasions, including at BUILD 2014 in San Francisco when it presented the touch-optimized PowerPoint in action, and hinted that the public launch could take place as soon as this year.
But according to Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley, Office Touch is very likely to be delayed as the company is now working to bring the Android SKU to the market before the one aimed at Windows 8.
The reason is pretty much the same as for Office for iPad. Asked why the company intends to launch the iPad version before the Windows 8 one, Microsoft's new CEO Satya Nadella explained at the Code Conference last month that it's all because of the market share.
There are millions of iPad users out there, so the company needs to expand its productivity suite in such a way that it would be capable of reaching a wider audience. Both the iPad and Android are part of this project, while Windows 8 clearly comes in third place.
“The intent here is to make sure our services are available on all devices. There are going to be Windows devices and there are going to be other devices and we have to make sure our services run on all of them,” Satya explained at the Code Conference.
“That said, iPad has the most share. We are definitely going to have touch-first Office on Windows, and it is coming.”
As for the release date of the touch-based Office for Windows, nothing is sure so far, but the same report hints that Microsoft might launch it in spring 2015. Unsurprisingly, the same timing is believed to be prepared for Windows 9 as well, Microsoft's next full Windows operating system which could see daylight in April 2015.
In other words, Microsoft might launch Windows 9 and Office Touch at the same time, a plan that would actually make sense given the fact that people close to the matter suggested that Microsoft was planning to remove the desktop in a future Windows 9 SKU. As a result, Office Touch would give users the chance to create and edit documents on their tablets even without a desktop.
The first steps towards this new approach have already been made, as OneNote is already available in Windows 8 Metro, but Microsoft still needs to make Word, Excel, and PowerPoint compatible with the touch-optimized environment. The biggest challenge is to make the Windows touch-optimized Office snappier and more advanced than the iPad and Android versions, both of which are said to be extremely fast and powerful.
The Android build is very likely to be based on the same system as Office for iPad, so users could get it free of charge, while an Office 365 subscription would be needed for document-editing features.