Part B – Weekly Journal

January 29, 2015: Microsoft has released Office for Tablets, which can have powerful implications on infrastructure decisions. Have students read the article at http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobile-applications/microsoft-office-arrives-on-android-tablets-/d/d-id/1318861?itc=edit_in_body_cro and ask them to think of a situation in which a firm would provide Android tablets to managers who travel quite a bit. Ask them the following:

(1) Would the absence or presence of Office on tablet platform affect the decision?

(2) Given the roll-out, how would a tablet now be more attractive than a thin laptop for the travelers?

(3) Would the pricing model have an impact on the screen size that you would choose to provide to the travelers?

(4) What infrastructure decision would you make in the area of soft keyboards versus keyboard cases with real keys? Would keyboard size enter into your decision-making?

References:

Pearlson, K., Saunders, C. Galletta, D. Managing and Using Information Systems: A Strategic Approach, 6th Edition. Burlington, MA: Wiley, 2016.

Solution Preview

Q1:
On January 29, 2015, Microsoft released its Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) for Android tablets(Sherridan, 2019). These tools were intended to bridge the gap between Microsoft Windows 10 and mobile Android applications. However, though, the augmentation has not been 100 per cent successful because the Android apps do not complement the web-based Microsoft tools (Windows 100).

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