Microsoft Office on iPad Pro Requires Office 365 Subscription

Microsoft will require an Office 365 subscription to use Office apps on an iPad Pro, reports Ars Technica. The reason is that the tablet's 12.9-inch screen size exceeds Microsoft's 10.1-inch threshold for free access to viewing and editing features.

Comparatively, the Office suite of apps on the iPad Air and iPad mini allow viewing and editing documents for free, since their screen sizes are 9.7" and 7.9" respectively. iPhones also have access to viewing and editing features at no cost.

The Office apps on the current iPads offer both viewing and editing documents for free. A handful of features require Office 365 subscriptions, available as in-app purchases, but the core editing capabilities are all zero cost.

Install those same apps on the iPad Pro once it arrives in November, however, and all those editing features will go away. Office on the iPad Pro will require an Office 365 subscription for any and all editing.

Office 365 Home costs $99.99 per year, or $9.99 per month, and includes access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access on 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets and 5 smartphones. Up to five subscribers also get 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage and 60 Skype minutes of calling per month to mobile phones and landlines.

Office 365 Personal is also available for $69.99 per year, or $6.99 per month, and includes access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access on 1 PC or Mac, 1 tablet and 1 smartphone. One subscriber also gets 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage and 60 Skype minutes of calling per month to mobile phones and landlines.

iPad Pro launches in November starting at $799 in the United States.