Microsoft Office apps for iPad are now free

Well they always were but you could only view documents unless you paid for the Office 365 account subscription.

Due to the all out turf war between Microsoft, Google and Apple over the office productivity applications territory, MS now allow Office apps on the iPad to create and edit documents and sync with the mothership via DropBox and OneDrive (MS equivalent of DropBox)

If you're a Microsoft Office user  - and find yourself in situations where an iPad is more convenient than a desktop or laptop computer - you can now get the real deal. 

I've had a quick play with Word and Excel and they both look and work well. I'm not even going to look at PowerPoint as Apple's Keynote knocks it into a cocked hat. If you've ever seen a PowerPoint presentation side by side with a Keynote presentation you'll know what I mean. PowerPoint looks like 1960s television.

Slight caveats:

1. You have to create an account - just like setting up a new email account, takes a couple of minutes. If you already have a Microsoft account of any sort then you can use that.

2. Excel doesn't do 'compatibility mode' so some older spreadsheets won't open. They must be saved as .xlsx files or converted in Excel on your 'proper' computer. That done, it works just fine.

3. They're not the full monty so some features are missing. Partly because of the operating system and partly because they're free. If you buy an Office 365 subscription you get some extras plus you're buying office for all your computers (depending on which option you go for).

I'll keep you posted once I've had more time to play with them and heard what other people have to say about their experiences.