Earlier this week at a dedicated press event, Apple introduced the new iPad Pro with a 9.7-inch display — it’s also available with a gigantic 12.9-inch screen. Apple may be aiming to attract Microsoft Windows users to make a switch to the tablet as most of the tasks are handled by dedicated apps.
In a surprising move, Apple is selling Microsoft’s Office 365 suite as an added accessory with the purchase of the new iPad Pro (via The Verge). Actually, it’s the only non Apple-branded accessory the company is selling with its new tablet. Customers have the option to select from several versions of the Office 365 subscriptions, including Personal, Home and University. The Personal version is listed for $69.95 for one-year subscription while the Home and University editions are priced at $99.95 and $79.95, respectively — that’s for a single Home and Personal license, and two license for university students.
Office 365 is a suite of productivity apps that will help you get things done from virtually anywhere, on all your devices—Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It offers Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and more. Plus, every new upgrade is included so you’ll always have the most up-to-date versions or applications.
It’s rather strange as Microsoft already have a number of Office Suite apps available in the App store, and Apple also have their own iWork suite of apps as well. It’s not just the iPad Pro, Apple has apparently added the Office 365 buying option in other tablets, including iPad Air 2, iPad mini 2, or iPad mini 4 so it’s possible that the company may have added the feature lately.
Microsoft Office is still the most popular productivity apps for users when it comes to documents and presentations, and offering them with it’s devices, Apple is trying to attract Windows users.
“You may not know this,” said Apple’s Phil Schiller at the company’s March press event, “but the majority of people who come to the iPad Pro are coming from a Windows PC.”
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