Microsoft has some big plans to expand their business-oriented SharePoint web collaboration and content management services. The company is talking about their plans today as part of the SharePoint conference in Las Vegas.
Microsoft"s press release states that one of those new efforts will be SharePoint apps made for Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Android and iOS devices. ZDNet.com reports that the final versions of all those apps will be released in early 2013, but Microsoft has released prototype versions of the Windows Phone 8 app ahead of time.
Microsoft also announced today that it will extend its downloadable app store, which it launched for Windows Phone, Windows 8 and Office 2013, to SharePoint as well. The press release states:
In addition to broad investments in SharePoint Online, SharePoint 2013 also introduces a new cloud app model for the more than 700,000 developers building on SharePoint. The new app model and a new Office Store make it easier for developers to build, buy, deploy and manage applications using existing Web development skills.
ZDNet also reports that Windows 8 and iOS users will be able to download a separate SkyDrive Pro app which will allow SharePoint customers to save their content for offline use. There"s no word on when that app will be released.
Source: Microsoft press release | Image via Microsoft