Free OneNote for Mac release rumours surface

published 14 March 2014

Microsoft will soon release a free, full version of its Evernote rival OneNote for Mac, it has been reported.

The cloud-based note-taking service was first introduced in November 2003 and is now provided as part of Microsoft OneDrive, the company's cloud storage service, or Office Online, the free version of its Office 365 productivity suite.

While a OneNote app has been available for iOS since 2011, no desktop version of the service has ever been released, with Mac users having to rely on a browser-based version.

Furthermore, a free Windows desktop version of the app could also be made available. Currently OneNote is available free as a Windows 8 app and is included in the paid-for version of Office, but not for earlier operating systems, such as Windows Vista and Windows 7.

It is assumed OneNote for Mac will be released at more or less the same time as the new version of Office for Mac, which could be as early as the end of March 2014, according to some reports.

In February this year Microsoft overhauled the OneNote website, separating it out somewhat from OneDrive, although notes are still accessible from the documents' folder in the cloud storage offering.

It also follows the late-January adoption of the name OneDrive, which replaced the SkyDrive brand following an order from the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

IT Pro contacted Microsoft for confirmation of the coming release of a free OneNote for Mac offering, but was told by a spokesperson, "we have nothing to share".

Jane McCallion is Managing Editor of ITPro and ChannelPro, specializing in data centers, enterprise IT infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Before becoming Managing Editor, she held the role of Deputy Editor and, prior to that, Features Editor, managing a pool of freelance and internal writers, while continuing to specialize in enterprise IT infrastructure, and business strategy.

Prior to joining ITPro, Jane was a freelance business journalist writing as both Jane McCallion and Jane Bordenave for titles such as European CEO, World Finance, and Business Excellence Magazine.