Microsoft's resolve to filling-in the web app productivity space dominated by Google is increasingly on the spotlight as the company demonstrated more collaborative Office features on more devices. The new update means bringing more real-time collaborations to Office web apps, which hitherto had been available only on the desktop Office software.

Office Web Apps was launched in 2010 as Microsoft's answer to Google Apps, while the later have attained notoriety for real-time collaborative functionality, Office Web Apps had been lagging behind.

Microsoft in the next few months will be rolling out improved collaboration features in Office Web Apps aimed to bring real-time co-authoring on desktop browsers, Android and iOS devices. Also included in the new updates is ability to edit documents real-time without the need to refresh page.

The company in the demonstration revealed the pre-release web apps on a notebook, touting features like real-time co-authoring, design elements and document formatting. 

Albeit, adding co-authored tables to a document is possible in the current version, the new update will allow co-authors to make live text-formatting changes. That means ring-level real-time co-authoring in Excel, and real-time editing in Word and PowerPoint.

Microsoft, however, have been trailing its earlier May announcement without any specific timing for the actual launch date for the updated version.

Microsoft demonstrates Real-time Co-authoring on Office Web Apps



Microsoft's resolve to filling-in the web app productivity space dominated by Google is increasingly on the spotlight as the company demonstrated more collaborative Office features on more devices. The new update means bringing more real-time collaborations to Office web apps, which hitherto had been available only on the desktop Office software.

Office Web Apps was launched in 2010 as Microsoft's answer to Google Apps, while the later have attained notoriety for real-time collaborative functionality, Office Web Apps had been lagging behind.

Microsoft in the next few months will be rolling out improved collaboration features in Office Web Apps aimed to bring real-time co-authoring on desktop browsers, Android and iOS devices. Also included in the new updates is ability to edit documents real-time without the need to refresh page.

The company in the demonstration revealed the pre-release web apps on a notebook, touting features like real-time co-authoring, design elements and document formatting. 

Albeit, adding co-authored tables to a document is possible in the current version, the new update will allow co-authors to make live text-formatting changes. That means ring-level real-time co-authoring in Excel, and real-time editing in Word and PowerPoint.

Microsoft, however, have been trailing its earlier May announcement without any specific timing for the actual launch date for the updated version.