Microsoft Office Web Apps rebranding speculations have been laid to rest as Redmond has officially renamed Office Web Apps to Office Online.
“An online version of the Office you know and trust has been available for quite a while, but with today’s updates, we’ve made your Office Online experience easier to find, share and collaborate with others”, Microsoft announced through a post on Office Blog.
Microsoft further revealed that the rebranding will make it easier for users to find the online version of Office specifically for those who haven’t used the online version of the company’s productivity suite.
“…we’re making it easier to find for the rest of you by introducing Office.com, a discoverable and shareable web page so that you can start using Office Online right away.”
One of the primary reasons behind the rebranding was the confusion surrounding the name. “We heard from customers that the inclusion of Apps in our name was confusing. Are they something I install? Do I go to an app store to get them?” notes Microsoft’s Amanda Lefebvre.
Microsoft’s redesign of Office.com not only makes it easier for users to find Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint, but also allows for easier access to Outlook.com, OneDrive, Calendar and People.
This is not just a rebranding move and Microsoft reveals that the new Office Online will allow users to create great looking documents thanks to hundreds of templates included in Word, PowerPoint and Excel.