Microsoft Office heads to iPhone…only

Microsoft has released Office Mobile for iPhone, but following months of speculation, there remains no sign of an iPad version.

Unveiling the app on the company's official blog site, Microsoft says Office Mobile for iPhone is available at no extra charge from the Apple App Store for Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365 ProPlus subscribers.

After signing in to an Office 365 account, users can access, view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from anywhere.

"When we launched Office 365 earlier this year, we committed to delivering regular updates and new capabilities to Office 365 subscribers," says Julia White, general manager, Microsoft Office Division.

"Since then, we've expanded Skype calling and added new OneNote features.

"Office Mobile is another great example of the value of subscribing to Office 365, and I can guarantee you, there will be lots more to come."

Features include:

Consistent Office experience

Because Office Mobile is from Microsoft, your formatting and layout remain intact when viewing, editing or adding comments, thanks to support for charts, animations, SmartArt graphics and shapes.

When you return to your PC or Mac your document looks like it should.

Easy access

Office Mobile is designed for people on the move. White says the app is made it quick and easy to access your Office content in the cloud on SkyDrive or SkyDrive Pro.

"When you're on your phone, you'll easily find the content you viewed on your computer in the Recent Documents panel," White says.

"And, of course, you can view and edit Office documents sent in email."

Optimized for the small screen

Office Mobile has been optimised for the small screen of your phone so you can get the important things done quickly.

"For instance, the Slide Navigator allows you to page through PowerPoint presentations fast while Speaker Notes help you practice presentations on the go," White says.

"When reviewing Word documents on your phone, the Resume Reading feature takes you to the exact point in the document where you left off on your computer so you never miss a beat. "

Sharing built in

You can make quick edits and share your documents right from your phone with Office Mobile also.

"When working with others, you can review comments in Word and Excel documents on your phone and add your own," White says.

"When you're done, you can save directly to SkyDrive or SkyDrive Pro or just send as an email attachment."

What do you think of Office Mobile for iPhone? Should it be free? Should Microsoft introduce an iPad version? Tell us your thoughts below