iPad Pro users will have to pay to use Microsoft Office

If iPad Pro users want to use Microsoft’s Office suite, they’re going to have to pay for an Office 365 subscription. In a March blog post, Microsoft VP Kirk Koenigsbauer said the company uses screen size to “delineate between professional and personal use,” allowing devices with screens smaller than 10.1 inches to use a limited version of its productivity software for free. Last November Microsoft made Word, Excel and Powerpoint apps capable of basic editing available for free on iOS devices, but the iPad Pro’s 12.9-inch display makes it the first iOS device to fall outside of the bounds Microsoft sets for free use. The distinction applies to Android and Windows tablets as well, with Microsoft referring to devices with bigger displays as “a ‘pro’ category tablet that is used for design or presentations.” [via MacWorld]

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Dan Pye was a news editor at iLounge. He's been involved with technology his whole life, and started writing about it in 2009. He's written about everything from iPhone and iPad cases to Apple TV accessories.