Microsoft Unveils Touch-Based Version of Office

SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft on Monday unveiled a new version of Office, its cash-cow suite of applications, which it has redesigned to take advantage of several of the biggest trends in technology, including touch-based devices, social networking and cloud computing.

At a press event here, Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, demonstrated the new software for the first time, describing it as “the most ambitious release of Microsoft Office that we’ve ever done.” Microsoft posted a preview version of the new Office, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other applications, on the Web.

While Office can run on more traditional computers with mice and keyboards, Microsoft also designed the product so that it can be used on touch-screen devices to compose documents, take notes and work on spreadsheets. The new Office will also allow people to use a stylus to enter data on touch screens.

The new version will automatically upload all Office files to a Microsoft Internet storage service called SkyDrive. This is meant to allow users to more easily work on their Office files regardless of which device they are working on.

Microsoft said it had also integrated the Yammer corporate social networking service into the new Office. Microsoft recently agreed to acquire Yammer in June for $1.2 billion in an effort to better compete with Salesforce.com and other companies that are supplying social networking tools for businesses.

Along with Windows, Office is one of Microsoft’s most important products, accounting for nearly 60 percent of its operating profits in its most recent quarter.