Microsoft has just announced that it will soon launch a new version of the Office app that will be dedicated to the users of iOS and Android devices. The brand new Office will be a single and unified app that combines Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The details were unveiled at its own Ignite Conference.
Microsoft has been working on a unified Office app for a long time now. However, the Office app will not replace individual Word, PowerPOint and Spreadsheet apps. There are a number of people who wish to use just one of these applications on their phones, and it does not make sense for Microsoft to completely remove them from the market altogether.
Why unified Office app is momentous
There are a number of reasons why this is a significant decision that will help users to safely create presentations, documents, and spreadsheets. Here are a few:
- A single unified application is easier to manage in terms of security and privacy. Users can quickly update each time there is a vulnerability, and they will not have to update three different applications.
- Providing customer service to users is easier and more efficient when a single app directs all the queries.
- Contrary to the beliefs of many, the unified Office app takes up less space than using the standalone apps
- You can trace a picture of a document on your phone, and then convert the image into a Word file. This Word file can be edited easily either on a different computer or within the Office app.
There is a clear business need for unified Office app
Many have questioned the enthusiasm of Microsoft to continue to invest in its productivity apps. However, a quick look at Google Play Store reveals that people have downloaded the three applications at least a billion times each. Microsoft Office continues to be more popular than other G Suite, with close to 56% of businesses using Office 365. With a single unified app, Microsoft makes Office an undeniable force of strength in the productivity application space.
Of course, Google’s G Suite applications such as Sheets, Docs and Slides have continued to eat up into Microsoft’s market share. Still, the majority of corporate users continue to stick to Microsoft Office. The unified Office app is a smart technical move and a quick response to the competition that Microsoft faces today.
The “picture to document” feature impresses critics
The most striking feature of the new updates is surely the ability to take a picture of a document on your cellphone and edit it. This has various industry-wide ramifications that will probably resurrect Microsoft’s market share which has been consistently diminishing in size.
This feature will be particularly popular among business users who often need to make quick changes to documents and spreadsheets. They will no longer need to create copies of printed documents they see. Instead, they can simply click a picture and make edits right on their smartphone, before sharing it back with their teams or clients.
The question is, will Microsoft regain its market share?
Certainly, unifying all the major Office 365 applications and bringing them under Office application is a smart technology and business move. Word, PowerPoint, and Excel will all be available in a single application. This will encourage people to start using Office all over again. The question is, will Microsoft ever become the leader of the market like it once was? What is certain is a lot more people would like to use a single app than multiple ones that are vulnerable in a number of ways.
