Office 2013 is now available in a preview version and Microsoft is embracing the app business model for Office 2013 third party programs. In a newly launched official Office and SharePoint app developer blog, Microsoft gives some more details on how this new model will work.
The blog"s first entry talks about the cloud-based model for Office 2013 apps, as well as the Office Store which will be the place for developers to sell those apps. Microsoft offers an example of two apps that can be used to extend the 2013 version of Excel. In the screenshot below, it shows the apps in action: " ... a “content app” (such as the Bing Map app, available here in the Office Store) and a “task pane” app on the right. Both apps will travel with the document while being hosted in the cloud."
While developers of Office 2013 and SharePoint apps can create them with the new cloud-based tools, the standard development programing languages will still be available. Microsoft states:
Our classic extensibility models are fully supported in the new Office and SharePoint. For Office, this means VBA code, COM add-ins and VSTO solutions will continue to work and be supported. For SharePoint, this means that previously released solutions extending SharePoint on-premise will continue to run as expected and be supported, this includes solutions running with full-trust.
The new programming models will allow app makers to easier post Word apps to work in Excel, PowerPoint or other Office 2013 programs.
Source: Office and SharePoint blog | Image via Microsoft