Microsoft Update Office suite Add cloud service to improve touch control

Microsoft CEO Ballmer (Steve Ballmer) in July 2012 16

A customer preview version of the new Microsoft Office suite is announced in San Francisco, California State.

Microsoft in Monday unveiled the new Office 15 suite designed specifically for tablets and other touch-screen devices, the biggest upgrade ever for the company's most lucrative office software, Reuters reported July 16.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, announced in Monday that the upgraded Office suite was Ballmer with cloud computing and compatible with the upcoming Windows 8 operating system, the company's most ambitious version of its current office software.

The upgraded Office suite uses cloud computing, which defaults to storing files and settings on the Internet and is compatible with touch screens that are widely used in Tablet PCs. It also integrates the Skype Video telephony service that Microsoft bought in 2011 for $8.5 billion.

With Apple and Google aggressively entering Microsoft's long-running work-software market, Microsoft has unveiled its latest Office version. Office has been Microsoft's biggest revenue driver.

Mr. Ballmer said at a news conference that Microsoft today was talking about the first office suite that was defined as a service from the start. It is the most ambitious Microsoft Office version released by Microsoft.

Microsoft has high hopes for the new version of Office 15. Windows is one of the world's largest computing platforms, with more than 1 billion people worldwide using Office applications--word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other tools.

But the world's biggest software company is behind in its response to the boom in mobile devices and cloud computing.

Microsoft wants corporate IT managers to pay for in-house upgrades at a time when global High-tech spending has not been as buoyant as in previous years. As Europe's economic crisis spreads and China's economy slows, the outlook for 2013 is uncertain, but corporate budgets are expected to shrink.

Cloud Computing First

Microsoft Last updated the Office suite in 2010, when it first incorporated the online Office version. The full version of the Office 15 suite is expected to be available early in 2013.

Cloud computing is becoming a growing trend. It means providing software, storage, and other services over a network from a remote data center, rather than relying on software or data installed in personal computers.

Mr. Ballmer points out that the first thing a user thinks of a modern office is cloud computing. That's why the Office suite is a service. Ballmer said the Office15 Suite Preview version is now available for download online.

With the new Office suite, the document can be marked with a stylus on the touch screen. The kit will be compatible with Tablet PCs with Windows 8 systems, and the Windows 8 system is expected to be available for sale in October.

The icons and menus on the Office upgrade suite are neater and cleaner than the current Office applications.

Microsoft has not disclosed whether it plans to launch an Office version compatible with Apple's ipad or a tablet computer running Google Android OID software.

Now the office package integrates Skype voice IP services, allowing users to edit through video conferencing collaboration files.

Although previous versions of Office can store files on your computer's hard disk, the new Office suite can be stored by default via the Microsoft Online SkyDrive service. Documents can be shared on Facebook or posted to blogs.

Mr. Ballmer said the launch of Windows 8 was imminent, but Microsoft still had a lot of work to do. In a sense, it is much like the case when the Microsoft Windows 95 operating system was released in 1995. At the time, this was a major step forward.

But Ballmer did not disclose the pricing plan for the new Office software.

Google has been trying to induce office users to switch to Google Docs. It is a suite of apps running on Google Server and available Yu Yun and mobile devices. Apple has also been trumpeting its ipad in today's tablet market-the ability to carry out clerical tasks.

Sarah Rotman Epps, analyst at Sala Rothman Ips, a market research firm, said the new office suite made Microsoft far more product-rich than Apple, but it still opened the door for Google to compete because it was pursuing crossover devices, Cross-platform and free service strategy.

Microsoft's shares rose 0.17% in Monday, at $29.44.