Microsoft has broadened the reach of its all-powerful desktop suite with the release of new Office apps for the iPhone and iPad, a preview of Office apps for Android tablet, and the ability for users of these devices to create and edit Office content without a subscription.

“Anytime someone has an idea or a moment of inspiration, we want to empower them to take action,” said John Case, corporate vice president, Office, Microsoft.

“With over a billion Office customers worldwide, and over 40 million downloads on the iPad, it’s clear that Office applications are what people want to use to get things done.”

The new Office for iPhone apps for Word, Excel and PowerPoint are available from the App Store along with updated Office for iPad apps.

General availability of Office apps for Android is expected in early 2015 although you can sign up for the Preview now.

Microsoft says “Customers get the best value and a complete set of features from an Office 365 subscription, including 1 terabyte of OneDrive online storage — with unlimited storage on the way.”