Office on the web works with both iPhone and Mac

Microsoft claims that the online version of the world's most popular office application package is not tied to Windows or Internet Explorer.

Excel program on the web.Photo: Microsoft.

Thanks to support for Firefox and Safari, this web application will run on Linux systems and Apple's smartphones.

The company also confirmed that users do not need to install Silverlight (Adobe Flash's rival), although the program delivers sharper images and helps Office online work faster.

Office preview packages in the browser will appear later this year. The US software group did not say whether it would be a free version, although it was part of Office Live (both free and subscription).