Microsoft launched its Office 2016 on Tuesday which still bears its base components that include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. But instead of working alone, you can work with other team members in real time because of its new feature.
Microsoft General Manager of Office Apps and Product Marketing Jared Spataro said that in the past 30 years, Microsoft Office was about being "me work" but Office 2016 embraces "we work," Time reported.
“Because it’s now a cloud-based service, we deliver it to customers in an entirely new way,” Spataro said.
Real Time Presence is the biggest addition to the Office 2016 which allows users to work on a certain document simultaneously, where everyone can see the document, edit it, or make additions in real time. This is a feature that is being used in Google Docs for a long time already but its integration into Microsoft Word is huge deal, PC advisor noted.
Despite being cloud-hosted, the programs can still be used as a software suite installed in the computer. It will be used the same way as before and not on a browser like Google Docs.
While using Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, one can press the "Share" button located at the top-right corner where you can enter names of people whom you want to share files with, type a message, choose if recipient can view or edit document and create a list of people who are allowed to work on a particular file.
To share files, it has to be hosted under OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service. Files stored in your computer will not be given sharing access.
Another notable feature of Office 2016 is its Skype integration. Hovering over the names of people that are allowed access to your document will give you a pop-up on how you can contact that person through voice or video chat. This way, Skype can be used while working on Microsoft Office.
For users who doesn't have Office 2016, they can still work on the shared files through a browser-based version of the app.
Microsoft Office 2016 is available via subscription at a price of $6.99 per month through Office 365. It can also be purchased on both Windows and Mac on $149 for the student version and $229 for the business version, according to Fortune.
