The iPad finally has its own unified Microsoft Office app

If you like using iPad to work on the go, there are good news. Microsoft has updated its Office mobile app and is finally optimized for the iPad.

The new update means that you can now use Word, Excel and PowerPoint from a single application. Technically, you could use the programs before. At the 2014, Microsoft added three individual applications to the App Store for Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Then, about a year ago, Microsoft launched a unified mobile app for iOS and Android. You could use this app on the iPad, but it would run as a windowed version of the iPhone app. Now, in the year of our lord 2021, you can finally download a single Office application optimized for iPad that combines Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

The new iPad app also has some additional tools for mobile work, including a way to create and sign PDFs quickly (with an Apple pencil, if you choose). Another outstanding feature is the ability to transform images into editable Word or Excel files. The app is free to use, but requires a Microsoft 365 subscription if you want to use the sharing and collaboration features. Meanwhile, iPad Pro users still need to have a paid subscription to do anything. However, if a unified Office application isn’t really your congestion, for now, you can even download and use the individual Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications.

This is, in fact, good news for Apple as well. In recent years, Apple has been promoting the iPad as a work device that can potentially replace a laptop. This is especially true with the iPad Pro, which now has support for trackpad and mouse, and if you spend with the new $ 300 Magic Keyboard. But even with sophisticated new accessories, the main problem for most people is the gap between iPad OS and macOS applications (and hell, even iOS apps). You often end up working on iPhone applications with windows – like the Office application before today’s update – or looking for more complete versions of your laptop. Considering how many people depend on Microsoft Office, having an iPad-optimized version of the software makes it a more attractive work device. However, let’s face it, the iPad will always be better for media consumption.