Microsoft boasts 12M Office for iPad downloads in one week

Microsoft

In the one week that Microsoft's Office for iPad has been on the loose, more than 12 million people have downloaded the productivity suite, the company says.
Microsoft announced the numbers via a tweet that said, "More than 12 million downloads of Word, Excel, PPT & OneNote for #iPad from the @AppStore <3 12="" 2014="" 3="" amp="" april="" downloads="" excel="" ffice="" fficeforipad.="" fficeforipad="" for="" from="" ipad="" it2egnpdkj="" million="" of="" office="" onenote="" ore="" p="" pic.twitter.com="" ppstore="" ppt="" than="" the="" word=""> The tech giant unveiled its Office apps for Apple's iPad tablet last week. The apps are a set of tools for managing and creating documents. In unveiling Office for iPad, Microsoft has taken a calculated risk with hopes that iPad users will forgo free alternatives such as Google Docs and Apple's iWorks software.

Under Microsoft's "freemium" approach, the applications are free to download, so a user can view a document or presentation without needing a paid subscription. However, Microsoft does require a $10 monthly subscription to Office 365 before users can edit or create a document. The iPad apps -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote -- are available for download from the App Store for no charge.
Though 12 million downloads is certainly a lot, Microsoft didn't divulge how many new subscribers it's gotten for Office 365.