Reasons why Microsoft Office's future is uncertain

Bangalore: Microsoft Office is a key product for the software giant as it contributes a lot to Microsoft's bottom line. However, as the market changes and Microsoft's focus shifts, Office could have a less-than stellar future ahead of it.

When internet giant Google acquired DocVerse last week, it sent shockwaves through the space, reports Don Reisinger of eweek.com. In this year Google has shown that it is committed to acquiring small firms to improve its suite of products. If that trend continues, the company might acquire more firms that could directly impact Office market share.

Google Docs is a free service that suits the needs of those who don't require elaborate presentations or major, complex spreadsheets. Plus, it's Web-based. If Google adds more advanced features, Microsoft might be in for trouble.

More and more people are moving to the cloud to perform tasks, which is a problem for Office. As more people move to the Web for productivity tools, Microsoft might be left behind. Windows is extremely important to the future success of Office. Most people associate Microsoft products to Windows. Now, Microsoft needs to ensure that Windows stays appealing to customers. If it doesn't, it could negatively affect Office sales.

For years, Microsoft has relied on the corporate world to turn a profit. But the enterprise is changing at a rapid rate and more companies than ever are looking towards the cloud to operate their businesses. Microsoft's suite of tools allows users to do more than any of the competition. But we can't forget that many of the functions built into Excel and PowerPoint aren't so outstanding that they can't be improved upon. Competing products could catch up if they are willing to spend the time and money.

Apart from Google, Microsoft has other competitors also. Apple offers iWork. OpenOffice is an extremely useful tool. Even Zoho, a web-based productivity suite, is worth considering when examining the future of Office.

Office is expensive. For years, that hasn't mattered, since it was the only viable productivity suite on the market. But today, there are several free alternatives that can deliver a worthwhile experience. As any technology company knows, customer?s desire changes at a rapid rate. We're seeing a major change right now from desktop-based reliance to a more web-based focus. As a company that has catered to the desktop, that's also a problem for Microsoft.

Microsoft might be taking Office for granted as it focuses on other, more challenging sides of its business. In recent months, Microsoft has doubled-down on its focus on Google.