14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most appealing features that Windows on ARM will arrive on shelves with is Office 15 applications
, meant to run in the desktop mode that Windows users are so familiar with.
Reports on Microsoft planning the inclusion of Office 15 in Windows 8 emerged ever since last year, and have all been confirmed last week, when Windows President Steven Sinofsky provided more details on Windows on ARM.
He explained that there would be four Office 15 applications included on ARM-based Windows 8 tablets and PCs, namely Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
These applications will be optimized to provide increased touch capabilities, while saving battery life, and being desktop apps, just as users would have wanted them to be.
“WOA includes desktop versions of the new Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote,” Sinofsky stated.
“These new Office applications, codenamed ‘Office 15′, have been significantly architected for both touch and minimized power/resource consumption, while also being fully-featured for consumers and providing complete document compatibility.”
However, there is the possibility that these won’t be full native applications, ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley notes in a recent blog post. She also stresses on the fact that they will be aimed at consumers, which means that they are not business apps, as the native Office apps are today.
The Redmond-based software giant makes a lot of money from Office, and it would come as a big surprise if it actually made it available for free. This means that it might take an approach similar to the one it took with Office on Windows Phone, though in line with the Windows 8 requirements.
While keeping its promise, Microsoft might simply include a new Office Starter SKU in Windows 8, making it free for consumers, but packing only rudimentary versions of these four apps with it. The SKU could also be ad supported, which explains why it will be free.
Another possibility is that Microsoft will force OEMs to preload Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote on their Windows 8 ARM devices, which might also drive the cost of such devices upwards.
Mary Jo Foley also notes that Microsoft might simply launch a new version of the Office Web Apps to meet the needs of WOA users.
Regardless of the solution Microsoft could adopt for including Office 15 in WOA, users might not enjoy the full Office experience as they would when using the desktop, native apps.
Windows on ARM is expected to be released at the same time the Windows 8 platform lands on x86 / 64 architectures. More on the matter should become available when Microsoft releases the Windows 8 Consumer Preview in two weeks’ time at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.