Software giant Microsoft will release a web-based version of its Office suite of products for free, in a move to compete with similar offerings from Google and other open-source products.
The products will include a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and note-writing program.
Forrester research analyst Sheri McLeish told news.com.au that the move is an attempt to try and curb Google’s dominance of online-based web tools, before Microsoft users flock to other offerings.
“Microsoft is in a tough spot,” McLeish said. “Their competition isn’t just undercutting them. They are giving away the competitive product.”
The announcement comes just days after Google said it will release a ‘Chrome’ operating system for netbooks. While it did not explicitly say it would be challenging Microsoft directly, many analysts have interpreted the move as a challenge for dominance in the OS market.
The web-based office products will be available towards the end of the year, when it releases the Office 2010 suite.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
