If you’re a current iPad user who makes use of the free features of Microsoft’s Office suite of apps and will be moving up to the iPad Pro when it is released, you’ll be disappointed to find out Microsoft will require an Office 365 subscription to use the apps on the larger tablet.
Microsoft told arsTechnica:
Office on the iPad Pro will require an Office 365 subscription for any and all editing. That’s because Microsoft defines a 10.1 inch cutoff. Anything below 10.1 inches is a “true mobile device” and as such qualifies for free access to the core editing capabilities. But above that threshold and it’s not a “true mobile device” any longer, it’s something else entirely, and it will need an Office 365 subscription as a result …
9to5Mac notes the 10.1-inch cutoff is mentioned in the licensing terms for both Windows and Android devices, but isn’t mentioned in the iOS terms – The iPad Pro release caught those cats napping!
Microsoft doesn’t say what exactly will happen when an iPad Pro user attempts to run an Office app with out an Office 365 subscription, so we guess that will just have to be a surprise for when it happens.
