SAN FRANCISCO — For many people, Microsoft programs like Word and Excel are about as cutting edge as a shovel — tools that get the job done, but do not quicken the pulse the way an iPad or an Xbox does.

Now Microsoft is seeking to reinvent Office, its venerable family of cubicle-ready applications, for a new era of computing that is increasingly being defined by flashy consumer technologies from other companies.

At a company event here on Monday, Microsoft for the first time showed the next version of Office, which it has overhauled to take advantage of touch screens, social networking and cloud computing. Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, described the product in momentous terms, saying it was “the most ambitious release of Microsoft Office that we’ve ever done.”