The cloud just got better. Google Docs, the free online document editor and office suite, has been substantially revised. The most notable improvements are: speed/responsiveness, real-time collaboration and better formatting, particularly for imported documents. The official Google Docs blog details each and every improvement, for those interested in a complete breakdown.
Speed and responsiveness were made better by, among other things, improving the javascript used for Docs. My biggest peeve with Google Docs was the lag between choosing some option and seeing an on-screen response. Now, Google Docs truly competes with desktop software in a meaningful way.
These improvements are very important for Google Apps to succeed. Why? Google Docs has competition on the horizon. Microsoft will release an online version of its popular Office suite later this year. This could be a real winner for Microsoft who has struggled with revising Office. The Ribbon and other recent updates have yet to catch on with many. I’m just guessing but I expect the online version will support the semi-familiar Ribbon but it could also have an option to run with drop-down menus. We’ll have to wait and see.
More important than trying to eat up Microsoft is speeding the adoption of Chrome OS. Remember, Chrome OS is simply a web browser. It does not support the installation of software or local apps. It relies entirely on cloud services. I wrote back in November 2009 that Google Docs was the weakest link to adoption of a Chrome OS world. Despite the most recent improvements, Google Docs remains the weakest link in the chain but the progress announced today is substantial.
P.S. Here’s the video I almost forgot to add to the post:
[via Official Google Docs Blog]
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Jon Mallin
Founder of Tech Bottle Blog. Attorney & Amateur Blogger. B.A. University of Michigan 1997 and J.D. NYU School of Law 2000.
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