Microsoft was rumoured to be returning fire on Google Chrome OS at an announcement next week, but word is out as to what that might be: Microsoft Office Web. It looks like Google Docs could be getting a cloud computing rival, so read on to find out how we know.
The nuclear bomb Google dropped over Redmond yesterday with Google Chrome OS was news enough, but word started coming through the digital grapevine that the announcement was a bid to sweep the carpet from under Microsoft’s feet, as Steve Ballmer and his boys have a big plan of their own to reveal on Monday: Microsoft Office Web.
Google’s Docs service, offering free word processing, spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations stored on the cloud, has been nipping at Microsoft Office’s ankles for several years now, but Microsoft Office Web, first rumoured last year, should stamp out the competition once and for all.
Ten ways Google Chrome OS can kill off WIndows
How do we know Microsoft Office Web is coming? As well as Robert Scoble’s cryptic comments, a huge shake-up is going on at the lucrative office.com domain. There’s a holding page right now, and the current owner is moving from July 31, suggesting Microsoft Office Web could be rolled out as soon as August.
What to expect from Microsoft Office Web? Expect a full office suite that syncs with the cloud, allowing you to save files locally and online. Given Microsoft Office’s heritage as a program run off your own hard drive, expect it to work even without net access, and backup when you return online. If that’s the case, Google Chrome OS should be scared: its USP is taking the workload off your shonky netbook when working. If Microsoft can offer the same thing on Windows, why would anyone convert?
There are no more details on Microsoft Office Web right now, but Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference goes down on Monday in New Orleans, so we’ll find out then what’s got Google rushing Chrome OS out the door in a hurry.
Out TBC | £TBC | Microsoft (Via TechCrunch)
[...] word is out: Microsoft’s unveiling the next generation of Microsoft Office on Monday, taking musty old word processing and spreadsheets into the cloud, so you can work [...]
It’s a tossup as to who will win.
Google deserve to win, they are promoting their offering as supporting web standards, meaning you can use Googler Chrome, Opera, Firefox or Safari with their product.
Microsoft will tie you into IE (and Windows), and do their corrupt practices and dirty tricks to ensure they win.
Yeah, surely. I definitely doubt this will work on other browser and systems than IE / WIndows. One more antitruste problem they can face.
And It’s unbelievable how Microsoft just CAN’T do anything on their own. Gazelle to copy Google Chrome, Office Web to copy Google Docs, Windows 7 to copy KDE & Mac OS X, man the list is sooooo long….
Probably this will be browser plugin based… While Google Docs is entirely JavaScript.
Pretty much everything Microsoft has done in the last 15 years has been worse that it’s competition, however they spend their money on marketing and FUD to cover the cracks…
IE < Firefox < Safari < Opera
IIS < Apache
Bing < Google
Windows < MacOS
Xbox < Wii < PS3
Microsoft Bob…
The only think Microsoft have left in their whole product line, that’s not been ruined (or bettered by their competitors) is their developer tools.
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