Microsoft is working to release its OneNote app for Mac by the end of this month, sources speaking with The Verge revealed. But this isn’t the only change Microsoft has planned for its app.
OneNote has been around for more than a decade now. Over the years, Microsoft has released an iOS and Android version, but the full desktop version was available as a paid app for Office on Windows.
We understand that Microsoft will release the OneNote for Mac app for free, and the company is also planning to make the Windows desktop version available at no extra cost. This marks a significant change in the way Microsoft manages OneNote, unbundling it fully from the cost of Office. We’re told part of this free approach is targeted at competitors like Evernote, but Microsoft is also adding additional features to entice people away from the competition.
Alongside the all-platform compatibility, OneNote will pack new features such as web clipper ability, which allows users to clip parts of web pages to the app with the help of a browser extension created by Microsoft, similar to what Evernote already has.
Another major Microsoft release will be an updated Office for Mac, according to MacWorld’s sources, which is a welcome move since the last update was three-and-a-half years ago. While the software maker has not yet officially revealed anything, German Office Boss Thorsten Hübschen informed MacWorld that the update will arrive by the end of the year.
A representative for Microsoft confirmed that development work for the next version of Office for Mac is ongoing. “The team is hard at work on the next version of Office for Mac,” she said in an email. “While I don’t have details to share on timing, when it’s available, Office 365 subscribers will automatically get the next Office for Mac at no additional cost.”
Meanwhile, Apple has started offering its suite of iWork apps for free to its customers, although the new versions offer much less functionality than their Microsoft counterparts.
