Image: Apple
Microsoft Office apps such as PowerPoint and Excel are now available on Apple’s Mac App Store.
The Microsoft Office suite is one of the most widely used tools in the enterprise software market and now it is available on the Mac App Store for Apple users.
The company had originally pledged to make its Office apps available by the end of last year, but a short delay means they are making their debut as January begins wrapping up.
Streamlining Microsoft Office
While the apps are the same versions that have been previously available to Mac owners through Microsoft’s website, they are now all available in the App Store. This means they will no longer be updated through Microsoft’s AutoUpdate tool generally used to keep Mac versions of software up to date.
The apps are now available from the App Store with a free one-month trial. The full Office 365 bundle includes six apps: Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive and Word. After the one-month free trials, users then have the option to subscribe to Office 365 Personal or Office 365 Home. The latter covers apps for up to six users on both Mac and PC, and both subscriptions include 60 minutes of Skype calls monthly and an extra 1TB of OneDrive storage per user.
Individual apps are also available for download. Existing Office users can download the software and log into their Office accounts to use it.
The apps have been specifically customised to support macOS features such as Dark Mode, and hardware features including the Pro Touch Bar. Apple Business Manager can also be used in organisations to make it easier for an IT department to deploy certain apps, licences and devices.
“We are excited to welcome Microsoft Office 365 to the all-new Mac App Store in macOS Mojave,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide marketing. “Apple and Microsoft have worked together to bring great Office productivity to Mac users from the very beginning. Now, with Office 365 on the Mac App Store, it’s easier than ever to get the latest and best version of Office 365 for Mac, iPad and iPhone.”
Jared Spataro, corporate vice-president at Microsoft, said: “We have worked closely with Apple to provide Mac users with the very best productivity experience – one that offers everything they know and love about Office through an experience uniquely designed for the Mac.”
