Microsoft Office 2010 Online Version For Free [That'd Probably Kill Google Docs]

Microsoft is definitely taking on Google and their revolutionary model of offering most of their applications for free and online. After announcing Bing (and seeing great results in just one month), the new Windows 7 RTM build yesterday, today Steve Ballmer came up with an announcement just as “shocking” – apparently the company is going to offer a Microsoft Office 2010 online version for free. And for the first time in a long long time, we’re taking Microsoft serious …

If Steve is for real, Google Docs should be scared starting next year when the Microsoft Office 2010 free version is going to be available online. Of course the free version is not going to pack all the features from the paid version — as Microsoft is making quite a lot of money from selling MS Office licenses — but still it’s a good idea. Apparently there won’t be PowerPoint video editing or Word image editing, but you can’t say that Google Docs has them, either.

Even though it looks like a very good marketing strategy for now, if MSFT fails to deliver the Office 2010 free version it’s pretty clear that users will feel misleaded and would lose their trust with the company. It’s a simple judgement that makes us believe that Ballmer & Co are actually working on something big from their well paid desks.

It looks like everything may have been caused by Google’s announcement last week when they said that a Chrome operating system is under development. We so wonder what Microsoft is going to do next to counterattack the giant Google is turning into.

To be continued …