Free Office for Android, iOS: More proof that Nadella is the right choice for Microsoft

When was the last time Microsoft gave away anything for free? When was the last time they pleasantly surprised you? When was the last time you thought that they were a company on the way up? For years, it seemed like Microsoft was dependent only on Windows to make money. Given that virtually the whole world was using Windows, it was perhaps expected. But everything else that Microsoft touched, with the exception of the Xbox 360 gaming devices, seemed to end up as a loss-making unit. They were the elephants of the tech world. However, in the past nine months Satya Nadella has managed to change that perception. The company looks sleeker (there have been a lot of job cuts), refined and has a new modern outlook. Leaving aside that unnecessary sexist comment about women and karma, Microsoft seems to have made the right choice. Firstly, they showed that they were prepared to extend the olive branch to one-time rivals Apple. The rivalry with Apple is history. Microsoft has been seen using Apple’s iPad and iPhone with Microsoft software at several public demos, Nadella and Sundar Pichai, Google’s VP in charge of products, are having conversations on Twitter, and it is more open towards other platforms, something one never saw in the past. The ’let’s grow together’ idea seems to be taking root. Perhaps, most importantly, Nadella has realised that times have changed. Apple made $156 billion in revenue last year. Microsoft made $23 billion. The gap is huge and this is no longer the Microsoft that can be arrogant and bully others into submission. There are other bigger fish in the pond. Keeping that in mind, it has become important for Microsoft to look ahead and not backwards. A point in case is that Nokia were allowed to sell devices with the Lumia branding even months after the acquisition. But then Microsoft stepped in and did away with the branding. It will be Microsoft Lumia now. The company is now prepping to sell its **first Lumia smartphone** on November 11. It may or may not be a smart choice but this is still a sign that Microsoft is looking to break from the past. Within months of announcing one of its most crucial products, Office suite apps, for leading mobile platforms - Android and iOS, Microsoft also decided to make it available for free. A year ago, one couldn’t have imagined a Microsoft product being given away to other platforms without any subscription. It should be noted that Office for iPad was instantly **a huge hit** , and the new free apps already **topping the charts** on Apple app store. It wins them huge goodwill from users and for Microsoft, it is a big step-up. They also changed the storage game by turning unlimited cloud storage into a free feature of Office 365. So it makes sense from businesses to buy into the idea. Cloud storage is the future and Microsoft wants to be a driver in the area. When it comes to smartphones, Microsoft came to the party rather late. But it doesn’t want to repeat the mistake. The company quickly churned out the Microsoft Smart Band in response to Apple and Samsung’s Smartwatch and FitBit – and it even managed to surprise a lot of people with the launch. In fact, the company has **impressed critics** with its different approach and by not following the herd. Nadella has been very actively involved with developers. He has been encouraging them to build more apps for Windows – in a sagely manner – and even says kind words like, ‘Microsoft loves Linux.’ A far cry from Steve Ballmer who once called the Linux open-source operating system a “malignant cancer.” Another first for Microsoft came in the form of Nadella speaking to Wall Street analysts at the quarterly conference call. This had never happened earlier. Moreover, he now brings Microsoft into the **Internet of Things** market that is expected to grow $3 trillion by 2020. It may still be very early to make a concrete call on how well Nadella’s changes will impact Microsoft but all the activity means that they are making a charge. There was a time when people couldn’t look beyond the Microsoft ecosystem and if things go well, we could be faced with that situation again.