Microsoft Office for the iPhone

Published on June 17, 2013

Microsoft Office has, after long last, made an app for the iPhone.  The suite offers users the ability to access Word, Excel, and PowerPoint from your phone.  "Finally!", I'm sure some of you are thinking.

However, there is a catch.

While the app is free to download, it is unfortunately only compatible for users who have subscribed to the $10/month or $100/year Microsoft Office 365.  For users that are already subscribed, its no sweat - every Office file you create on your phone is automatically synced on the Office 365 cloud server, and to other devices.  Additionally, this service is currently only available on iPhone, having not yet migrated to iPad.

Reviews from The Verge suggest that the editing controls for the iPhone app are better than the Windows Phone app, but are still rather basic in reality and not incredibly straight-forward.  Highlighting words, for example, requires a "double-click" rather than the standard "touch-and-hold" action.  PowerPoint is the most basic of all, designed more for basic edits to preexisting presentations rather than actual creation.

Still, this app may prove useful to frequent Office users with on-the-go needs.  If you end up using the new Office iPhone app, let us know what you think!

Do you have an MS Office alternative that you've been using?  Do you plan to adopt Office 365 and Office for iOS?