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Office 2013 to be bundled with smaller Windows 8 tablets

The 7- and 8-inch models reportedly will come with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, but not Outlook.

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HP ElitePad 900 Windows 8 tablet.
HP ElitePad 900 Windows 8 tablet. CBS Interactive

Microsoft will be offering a free version of Office in the smaller versions of tablets running its operating system, a new report claims.

According to The Verge, which quoted Windows CFO Tami Reller at Computex on Wednesday, Microsoft will allow vendors to bundle Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote into 7- and 8-inch tablets running Windows 8. Outlook 2013 will not be bundled with the device, despite the fact that Windows RT 8.1, the latest version of that software, will come with Outlook RT.

Like other tablet makers, Microsoft is trying to make a push for the smaller side of the market -- a space it didn't initially target, and is essentially trying to drum up support through Office.