Just over a month after launching Office for iPad, Microsoft today provided the first major updates to the suite of apps, bringing a number of user-requested features such as AirPrint support, PowerPoint SmartGuides, and row and column AutoFit for Excel spreadsheets.
Microsoft’s long-awaited Office for iPad has reached 12 million downloads on the iOS App Store, just one week after its launch. While good news overall for Microsoft, there’s no information on the number of unique iPad owners now using Microsoft’s apps, or how many of those users opted in to an Office 365 subscription.
Users who want the complete Office for iPad experience will need an Office 365 subscription, and Microsoft just announced a new way to pick up the $100 per year subscription for free. Starting Friday, iPad owners simply need to bring their device to a Microsoft Retail Store and they’ll receive an Office 365 Home Premium subscription for free.
Microsoft on Thursday finally unveiled Office for iPad, with new CEO Satya Nadella demonstrating the suite at a press event in San Francisco. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are all free to download and view documents, but those wishing to create or edit on their tablets will need an Office 365 subscription.
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Microsoft’s long-awaited Office for iPad is still in the works, and may even launch before Gemini, the touch-based version of Office for Windows 8. ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley reports that the app is scheduled to hit the iOS App Store in the first half of 2014.