Wrap-Up









Office 2013 feels like a stop gap between what’s really next for Office innovation, an attempt to fend off Google’s increasing popularity in small and medium-sized businesses. Most of the app improvements feel rather minor, with the exception of PowerPoint and Outlook, but it seems that Microsoft has finally pulled together its cloud strategy around Windows, Office, and SkyDrive — something that’s vital in the ecosystems battle with Google and Apple. Although Microsoft launched its own cloud storage before iCloud and Google Drive, its consumer message was confusing and separated with no ease-of-use. With Office 2013, documents and settings can be stored in the cloud and the apps streamed to Windows 7 and 8 desktops — a powerful move away from the traditional versions of Office that supported some of this functionality, but in a way that puts the experience first, and pushing the complicated technology behind it into the background.

Microsoft is targeting its Office 2013 suite at businesses, no doubt, but consumers will see the benefits of its improvements in the form of Windows RT tablets (which includes some of the Office 2013 apps). The company isn’t announcing pricing for its new Office 365 Home Premium service, but if it’s relatively low-cost then it could tempt some consumers who typically opt for a boxed copy. One critical aspect here, though, is that these applications are designed for the desktop; they’re best used primarily with a mouse and keyboard.

Touch improvements aren't great, but cloud integration is

The touch experience isn’t great from my own testing on Windows 8 Release Preview, and it feels all too familiar to Windows 7 — a first stab at touch improvements on desktop software. Microsoft’s Office division has taken a similar approach, by increasing touch targets, but it seems that any truly touch-optimized versions of Office will come as Metro style apps, if anything at all. It’s clearly difficult to create a fully functional touch-based word processor or spreadsheet with legacy support, and Microsoft hasn’t cracked it yet. Reading and Touch Mode work well if you just want to look over documents on a tablet device, but editing is a mixed affair — especially when, like other tablet devices, the onscreen keyboard takes up 50 percent of the screen space.

Overall, Office 2013 represents a big leap forward on the cloud side, but if you’re an average Office 2010 home user then there might not be enough here to make you rush out and upgrade. On the other hand, the improved support for collaboration through Office 365 or Present Online and App extension support will be of particular interest to business and enterprise users. If you, like many office workers, live in Outlook then the 2013 upgrade might be worth it alone — especially if you want to sync Mail, Contacts, and Calendars from Hotmail or other services. Meanwhile, the world awaits a rumored Office for iPad release and any future hints at Metro style Office apps. Microsoft is entering an age of Metro in 2013, but its Office division is still lagging behind on its touch story and any innovation it could bring to truly improve the touch experience for productivity apps like Office. Luckily, there’s no solid competition for Office yet on emerging touch-based devices. The clock is ticking.

David Pierce and Aaron Souppouris contributed to this feature.