iPad users can now use their Apple accounts to buy Microsoft Office subscriptions in recurring monthly installments, thanks to a new update to the Office for iPad suite. In the past, users who wanted to sign up for a monthly subscription had to visit Microsoft’s website and set up an account there before they could use the suite to edit documents on their tablet.
Users can choose to pay $9.99 a month for an Office 365 Home subscription that allows them to register 5 computers and 5 tablets to use Microsoft’s productivity suite, or pay $6.99 a month for a Personal subscription that entitles them to one registered computer and one tablet. The subscriptions will be billed monthly through their Apple account, which means it’s now possible for people to turn small iTunes gift cards into a few months of Office for iPad access.
When Microsoft launched Office for iPad earlier this year, the company allowed users to purchase a year’s subscription up front ($99.99 for a Home subscription).
The move is also good news for Apple, which will be able to take a 30 percent cut of any subscription revenues Microsoft generates through the new purchasing option. Because it’s convenient for people to sign up through the app rather than jump through the hoops needed to register on Microsoft’s website, Apple could stand to pick up a new revenue source.
People interested in downloading Office for iPad can do so here.
