Microsoft Corp unveiled a new version of its Office suite tailored for tablets and other touch screen devices, in the company's largest-ever overhaul of the workplace software it relies on for much of its profit.
The revamped Office, touted by Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer on Monday as the most
ambitious version so far, takes advantage of cloud computing and is designed for use with the upcoming Windows 8 operating system.
It makes use of cloud computing by storing documents and settings on the Internet by default, and is compatible with touch screens widely used in tablets. It also incorporates Skype, the video-calling service Microsoft bought for $8.5 billion in 2011.
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| Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer presents Office 2013: AP |
Microsoft's stronghold. Office is Microsoft's single-biggest profit driver.
"The Office that we'll talk about and show you today is the first round of Office that's designed from the get-go to be a service,"Ballmer said at a news conference. "This is the most ambitious release ofMicrosoft Office that we've ever done."
Microsoft has a lot riding on the 15th version of Office. Windows is one of the world's biggest computing
platforms, and the Office applications -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other tools -- are used by more than 1 billion people around the world.
The company last updated Office in 2010, when it incorporated online versions for the first time. The full version of Office 15 is expected to be available in early 2013.
The suite will be compatible with tablets that use Windows 8 -- due for release in October. Screens appear less cluttered with icons and menus than in current Office applications.
Microsoft did not say whether it planned to launch versions of Office compatible with Apple's iPad or tablets
running Google's Android platform.
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