On June 14th, Microsoft released its official iOS app for Office 365 subscribers. This app, called “Office Mobile,” gives an iPhone-optimized version of Office 365 that works in sync with desktop usage of the subscribers other Office 365 products.

Mobile-Accessed vs Mobile-Optimized

The Office 365 suite was made with the web in mind. Each element of the suite can be accessed through Office Web Apps which retain full functionality when accessed from a mobile device. Tablet and smartphone environments could thus already access the Office 365 functionality—so what extras does the release of a specialized app entail?

Put simply, this is Microsoft’s first major attempt to release a mobile-optimized app for its productivity software outside of the Windows Phone environment. The application offers improved navigation and a few mobile-tuned features designed to help with productivity on the go.

Those mobile-friendly features include advanced synchronization with the subscriber’s non-mobile versions of Microsoft Office: Users can find the recently viewed documents regardless of where they were retrieved from and resume reading or editing documents from their last saved document location.

You can find more details by taking a look at the Apple Store page for the app here.

Microsoft’s Future App Developments

While tuning Office 365 for the iOS environment is a major step toward releasing optimized apps, it may not imply that all of Microsoft’s productivity software will receive the same treatment. While a mobile-specific version of SharePoint 2013 and SharePoint Online remain as possibilities, there are also hints that Microsoft is using a different strategy.

With the official blog post announcing the app, Microsoft also advised tablet users to avoid the application in favor of using Office Web Apps through their tablet browser. This is the same method currently used for connecting with SharePoint.

Despite the efforts seen here, Microsoft may be reluctant to make mobile-tuned apps. It may also be that this application is being used to test the waters for future app development. While some of the early response has been negative, many of the unfriendly reviews seem to be a response to Microsoft’s subscription model rather than the app itself.

In any case, Microsoft currently seems more focused on optimizing the web-based version of their productivity suite. While this may preclude opportunities for a mobile-oriented UI and features, adding app development to the lineup could reduce the project’s speed of adaptation. In either case it’s a trade-off, and a difficult choice to make. Regarding that choice, Microsoft has yet to give clear indications of its long-term plan.

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Those who have been paying close attention to Microsoft's innovations will already have heard of Microsoft 365, which has had mentions from mid-2010. However, exactly what was to be included wasn't sure – nor was 365 itself anything more than a convention demo and set of screenshots, at least as far as practical application was concerned.

That's changed now, thanks to the Beta release of Office 365. But what's so different about this service? The primary augmentation is the move of Microsoft's productivity components into the cloud. All of the standard productivity services, such as Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, are cloud-ready with this service, but that's not where the story ends: Office 365 also brings SharePoint into the cloud.

The entire package is available for beta testers now, but it may take some time to get admitted to the beta program (two to four weeks, in fact, according to the Microsoft estimates). Those who would rather just wait for an official release should be pleased by the pricing, which tosses the traditional licensing fee in favor of an annual subscription. Companies with fewer than 25 employees can subscribe for $6 per year, or $18 per year if you want your employees to have access to the desktop versions of Microsoft Office. Meanwhile, the Enterprise version, designed for companies with more than 25 employees, will charge $24 per year for access to all the standard services and desktop software, as well as 24-hour IT support and advanced controls.

There's little doubt that the update will change the face of Microsoft SharePoint, and the company has never disguised the fact that this may present complications. However, it will also offer a great number of new opportunities. Those looking to conquer the chaos or seize the new treasures lying inside the updated version will benefit from a SharePoint consulting group such as SharePoint Engine. Contact us today for your free consultation.