Apple on Thursday officially made the most popular Microsoft Office applications available for download directly via its macOS App Store.
Speaking at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2018 last June, executives first noted that Microsoft Office and its suite of powerful productivity apps would “soon” be available to purchase and download, digitally from its Mac App Store — although no specific launch date was offered at the time.
As MacRumors reported on Thursday morning, however, the iOS App Store in select markets (such as in Switzerland and France) were recently updated with a tidbit of new information concerning the availability of Microsoft Office on the Mac App Store.
“We are proud to announce that Microsoft Office 365 is now on the Mac App Store,” read a byline statement published to Apple’s French and Swiss App Stores.
“Your subscription to Office 365 gives you access to all functions on all platforms. To subscribe, sign up for any Office Suite app and update your subscription. Discover all the apps in the suite, and start creating and collaborating!”
The Easiest Way to Office
Of course, while Microsoft’s signature Office apps [such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote] have been available to Mac users for several years now — thus far, those wanting to use them have had only two, rather inconvenient options: by either downloading Office directly from the web, or by purchasing a physical box & code.
And while you’ll still need a monthly or annual subscription to Microsoft Office 365 in order to access each individual app’s full suite of features, the sheer ability to now purchase and instantly download these premium productivity apps directly from the App Store is arguably the easiest new way to Office on Mac.