Microsoft Works 9 to Be Ad-Supported

Mary Jo Foley has news that Microsoft will launch their ‘budget’ office suite, Works 9, as a free and ad-supported product, similar to what Adobe plans to do with an online version of Photoshop. It’s unknown whether for sure it will be an online or offline application, but it’s likely to be the latter to better compete with Google Docs.

Nadella added that Works will be just “the first of the ad-funded software we are going to do.” When I asked for other examples of products might decide to make free and ad-funded, he mentioned Office Accounting Express — a product which is currently available as both a free download and as a component of certain Office Live paid subscriptions. He also said software downloads/shareware was another category ripe with products that could be free and ad-funded.

Source: ZDNet