Google Apps takes aim at Microsoft Office with Quickoffice integration
Google Apps makes an anti-Microsoft Office play as it continues to integrate Quickoffice into the fold.
The Google enterprise team has published an update about how it is integrating Quickoffice and its office productivity solutions into Google Apps for business customers.
The primary focus of the update is to inform Google Apps customers about how to convert old Microsoft Office files to Google documents and then edit them directly in Quickoffice.
Jonathan Rochelle, director of product management for Google Drive, asserted in a blog post on Wednesday that the team has "incorporated Quickoffice conversion technology into this process so your Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files look even better when you convert them to Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, respectively."
The key words there are "look even better" on Google Apps products. Essentially, this is a play to compete with Windows 8 on tablets.
To recall, Google acquired Quickoffice in June -- months ahead of the release of Windows 8.
But now that Windows 8, the Surface, and other new Win 8 devices are out on the market, it's time to turn the competition up a notch. Thus, Google is pulling out more stops to demonstrate support for as many apps and platforms as possible to please as many business customers as possible.
To nudge this strategy along, Google is making Quickoffice available on the iPad for free -- at least for Apps customers. With this app, Rochelle promised that Apps users could open and edit any Office files stored in Google Drive right from an iPad.
But smartphones won't be neglected for long. Android and iPhone versions are promised to follow soon.
