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Apr 12, 2001
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Video game streaming company OnLive has announced a free, streaming, virtual Microsoft Windows 7 desktop app for the iPad. The OnLive Desktop app, announced at CES, will eventually expand to other platforms -- including the Mac. Users will have access to full-featured versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, less than a week after CloudOn introduced its Office solution for the iPad.

onlive-desktop.jpg



GigaOm has details about how the service will work:
Since applications are running on high-end computing clusters in OnLive's data centers, the only thing holding back performance is the network. Which means that in today's world of pervasive broadband connectivity, Windows applications running on an iPad could potentially be faster than those running on a standard Windows 7 laptop.

OnLive is making the Desktop app available in a freemium model through which users will get 2GB worth of cloud storage and the ability to use Windows 7 applications such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint, as well as other utilities and games. Documents can be stored in the cloud and accessed from any device with a web interface. In the near future, OnLive expects to launch Onlive Desktop Pro, a more robust service that will offer up 50 GB of storage, priority access, additional apps and other features for $9.99 a month. It also promises collaboration features for enterprise users such as sharing documents or working on virtual whiteboards.
The Verge notes that when they tried the app at OnLive HQ, there was "a little bit of perceptible lag, it's pretty impressive manipulating objects with our fingers and flipping through PowerPoint presentations on a desktop miles away."

OnLive previously announced iPad and iPhone support for its gaming products, though those apps have yet to be publicly released.

Available this Thursday in the U.S. and "soon" in the UK, OnLive Desktop for the iPad will be free on the App Store.

Article Link: OnLive Intros Virtual Windows 7 Desktop With Office for iPad
 

rjohnstone

macrumors 68040
Dec 28, 2007
3,896
4,493
PHX, AZ.
I'm sure Microsoft will be laughing all the way to the bank.
More Windows and Office license fees to collect.
 

PlaceofDis

macrumors Core
Jan 6, 2004
19,241
6
sounds great. at least with OnLive you have a known company that has been around a couple of years. I'm looking forward to giving this a try.
 

rjohnstone

macrumors 68040
Dec 28, 2007
3,896
4,493
PHX, AZ.
I am curious as to how this is working out with Microsoft licensing-wise.
MS has terminal service licenses for uses like this.
They are a bit cheaper than the traditional desktop license as you only have to license the number of sessions per server, not the number of users.
(per seat licensing).
 

gotluck

macrumors 603
Dec 8, 2011
5,712
1,204
East Central Florida
wow! I wonder how well the touchscreen works with the interface, sounds interesting. Security would be a concern too - can't believe there's a free "plan".
 

rileybeebs

macrumors newbie
Jan 9, 2012
1
0
Cool, but not New

CloudShare ( http://www.CloudShare.com ) has had this support with many more applications and resources for a long time now. They now have a full HTML RDP client so the user experience is great.

Chris
 

MacNewsFix

macrumors 6502a
Oct 27, 2007
653
0
Twin Cities
Video game streaming company OnLive has announced a free, streaming, virtual Microsoft Windows 7 desktop app for the iPad.

Worst...video game.....EVER!


;)
 

baryon

macrumors 68040
Oct 3, 2009
3,875
2,922
Who cares about office! There's a whole OS "running on" the iPad! Get me OS X on there and that will make everyone happy.
 

ravenvii

macrumors 604
Mar 17, 2004
7,585
492
Melenkurion Skyweir
Looks like I will finally have to break down and get an iPad until the Windows 8 tablets arrive

Well, think about it - OnLive streamed Windows 8 on your iPad.

Unless you play games or whatnot, there might not be a need for a Windows 8 tablet - just tap the OnLive Desktop app icon! ;)
 

kerpow

macrumors 6502
Jan 16, 2004
331
0
London
Will be interesting to see how it stacks up against Citrix XenDesktop and the Citrix Receiver for iPad/iPhone.

Onlive must use some clever compression in the same vein that the Citrix ICA protocol does.
 

Marx55

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2005
1,913
753
Instead, just use Office on a 7-inch MacBook Air once Apple releases it. The Mac in your pocket. Always.
 
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