Microsoft Office for iPad: free apps with subscription

How will the new Office for iPad work? | ZDNet:

Instead of selling "software", Microsoft may give away (Office) apps for free
on iOS and Android devices, and sell online (Office 365) service subscription instead.
So the same user could use up to five devices (with free apps),
to access online Office services...

This is clever in multiple ways.
With "free" apps, there is no distribution cost (and no 30% profit for Apple),
the users are "locked in" with continuous payment (steady revenue for Microsoft)
and system is convenient for both users and service providers.



Microsoft unwraps sysadmin-friendly Office 365 for biz update

all retail versions of Office 2013 are now licensed on a per-device basis. They are tied to a single PC, permanently. If the PC is lost or stolen or you upgrade to newer hardware, you must purchase a new copy of Office 2013 if you want to keep using it, according to Microsoft's new terms.
...

To recap, Office 365 Small Business Premium costs $150 per user per year (the equivalent of $12.50 per month) and is designed for organizations with 1–10 employees. Office 365 Midsized Business is for organizations with 10–250 employees and costs $180 per user per year ($15 per month).