Microsoft's Office Team Steps Onto iOS With 'OneNote'

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Microsoft's Office Team Steps Onto iOS With 'OneNote'

While Microsoft has released a small handful of apps for iOS devices, mostly notably with Bing and Windows Live Messenger, the company's Office team has been slow to bring iOS offerings to the App Store. Microsoft had indicated soon after the iPad's introduction that it was "looking at" the possibility of bringing a version of Office to the iPad, but clarified a few months later that it had "no current plans" to develop such offerings.

But Microsoft's Office team has now taken its first baby steps onto the App Store with its announcement that it has launched a version of OneNote [App Store] for iOS.

In case you haven't experienced the unsung hero of Office, OneNote is a digital notebook that lets you put everything you need to remember in one electronic place and then easily find it wherever you are. I use it every day. Think of it as a digital file cabinet for all the random bits of information that are too hard to keep track of in your head. According to comScore, 78 million PCs in the U.S. have OneNote - more than a third of all the PCs in the country.

OneNote Mobile for the iPhone lets you capture and review notes and lists on your phone. Notes are automatically backed up and synced with free Windows Live SkyDrive online storage, so that you can access them from virtually anywhere - your PC, phone, and browser. Collecting thoughts and ideas on the go is what OneNote was made for.

Microsoft has worked hard to extend availability of OneNote functionality, offering it in its Office suite for Windows as well as as a desktop web app and for mobile devices running Windows Phone 7 and now iOS. OneNote for iOS is currently free for a "limited time", and it is unclear what the regular price will be and when it will go into effect.

Source: Mac Rumors

[amon91]

That looks pretty. I might actually start using OneNote because of this.

[XerXis]

can't find it in the appstore yet :(

[amon91]

can't find it in the appstore yet :(

Are you using the US App Store?

[User6060]

US only right now :(

[XerXis]

Are you using the US App Store?

No Belgian, strange, already changed that once.

[.Neo]

So where's OneNote for Mac?

[Paul Ferson Veteran]

I don't use an Apple iDevice, or OneNote. I've never seen the benefit of OneNote as I know very little about what it is meant to do, or how it should be used. In any case, I welcome the fact that it is coming to the iDevices. It may be a very handy resource for some people for that reason.

[Shadrack]

Hmm...I wonder how Sync friendly it is with OneNote on my PC. I've been using Evernote but may start using this for work related notes.

[amon91]

No Belgian, strange, already changed that once.

If you have a Belgian account you can't use it to get stuff on any other store. I guess you'll have to wait.

So where's OneNote for Mac?

I think Word (for Mac) has a notebook option which is fairly similar.

[Tech Star]

And now I am starting to use OneNote because I didn't know what it was until now. Will make my life easier. :p

[Quattrone]

Can't wait to see the mobile version of Office for the iPhone. :p

[Manish]

I hope this is an actual step rather than an one-off. Would love to see Word and Powerpoint for the iPad.

[Wombatt]

To be honest, If i was Microsoft, i would hardly want to give Apple 30% of the profits!4

I know this App is free, but i bet that's why they havnt done a full office suite port.

[Quillz]

If you have a Belgian account you can't use it to get stuff on any other store. I guess you'll have to wait.

I think Word (for Mac) has a notebook option which is fairly similar.

It's similar, yes, but has a fraction of the functionality of OneNote. And while I would like OneNote for Mac OS X, there are alternatives that work, such as VoodooPad, Evernote or even just Notebook.

To be honest, If i was Microsoft, i would hardly want to give Apple 30% of the profits!4

I know this App is free, but i bet that's why they havnt done a full office suite port.

I think it has more to do with the fact that the Office suite is a humongous application and would probably take quite a long time to port down to something small like the iOS.

[Quattrone]

I think it has more to do with the fact that the Office suite is a humongous application and would probably take quite a long time to port down to something small like the iOS.

It can be painful to make it for the iPhone, but for the iPad it will be more easy because of the big screen. iWork its already available for the iPad.

[Shadrack]

It can be painful to make it for the iPhone, but for the iPad it will be more easy because of the big screen. iWork its already available for the iPad.

iWorks for iPad is a very different piece of software than iWorks for Mac is. I suspect most Office apps would be like this OneNote iPhone app where it is a slimmed down, critical features only version.

Would love to see this OneNote app continue to be developed on. It needs retina display graphics. Also, an iPad version would be lovely.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

boo, it requires iOS 4.2 :(

how easy is it to update a jailbroken iPod, do i just update like normal and reapply the jailbreak?

[kevpan815]

4 Wombatt: If you read the App's description: It Is Free 4 A Limited Time Only!