According to several reports, Microsoft finally released Office Mobile for iPhone today. This came to fruition because for years there have been a lot of rumors circulating that Microsoft would offer some form of Office apps for iOS devices.

And there were a lot of speculation thanks to the dramatic shift in the technology landscapes, from traditional Windows PCs to smartphones and tablets, and the sheer magnitude of the audience Microsoft was ignoring by failing to provide Office on rival platforms. With the free app, people can have quick access to documents, and easily edit, save and share documents on the go.  But to fully utilize the app, the user need to be an Office 365 subscriber. And the mobile version came as a new app, which made its entry on Friday.

For a decade, many Office users have been clamoring for a mobile version. At one point Microsoft even promised one. However, while both Apple and Google had comparable versions of the software, users sometime lost formatting and other details when working with different makes of office programs. According to the announcement, this new app can be used only with an Office 365 subscription, which costs approximately $100 a year, or $10 a month. This subscription allows users to run Word, Excel, PowerPoint on up to five Mac and Windows computers. Likewise the subscription can be used in up to five iPhones.

By adding iOS support, opportunity is given for Microsoft to reach a much wider audience in the smartphone market, and to sell more subscriptions and even pushing for a worldwide Office Suite. In particular for Apple customers, this new app is a welcome option; it fulfills a demand for alternative productivity software on the iPhone. It effectively strips down the platform's software limits and its capabilities, and it makes easy to use.  

There is lot of functionality in this app, and it also comes with viewing and editing capabilities. And for the documents that you create somewhere else and edit with the app, the font in the document carry over to the app so you can easily continue your editing.

iPhone maker Apple, announced earlier this week that it's adapting its iWork suite for iCloud, to make its product more competitive with Office 365. The software additions will enable Apple users to work with Pages, Numbers and Keynote files on the Web. Those files will also be Microsoft Office-compatible, the company said.