<p>If Acer's $379 Iconia W3 is any indication, small Windows 8 slates will have a tough time competing on price with other cheap tablets. To compensate, Microsoft will include a free copy of Office Home and Student 2013 with "small screen" Windows 8 tablets.</p><p>The Acer Iconia W3 is the first tablet to take advantage. Other small slates will likely follow later this year, when Microsoft releases Windows 8.1. Only tablets with screens smaller than 10 inches will qualify for the free version of Office, Engadget notes.</p><p>While rumors had once hinted at a version of Office for iOS and Android, Microsoft now seems eager to use its productivity suite as an exclusive hook for Windows 8 and Windows RT. Microsoft's own comparison of Windows tablets vs. Apple's iPad touts Office as a key advantage, noting that the "only consumer Office app the iPad can run is OneNote."</p><p>There's just one problem: Office 2013 isn't really designed for tablets, let alone tablets with 7- to 8-inch displays, where screen real estate is limited. It only runs within the desktop, which isn't really optimized for touch, and its smaller buttons are trickier to tap with a finger. (Ars Technica has a helpful post from last year showing exactly where touch becomes troublesome in Office 2013.)</p><p><a href="http://techland.time.com/2013/06/05/free-microsoft-office-for-small-windows-tablets-wont-really-be-for-tablets/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130605/microsoft-to-offer-discounted-windows-and-office-for-small-tablets-while-windows-rt-gets-outlook/">Microsoft to Offer Discounted Windows and Office for Small Tablets, While ...</a> (All Things Digital)</p><p><a href="http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/software/1300216/microsoft-to-bundle-office-with-new-windows-8-tablets-outlook-with-rt">Microsoft to bundle Office with new Windows 8 tablets, Outlook with RT</a> (Expert Reviews)</p><p><a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57587740-75/office-2013-to-be-bundled-with-smaller-windows-8-tablets/">Office 2013 to be bundled with smaller Windows 8 tablets</a> (CNET)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dZ9CWxsB5_4bOaMpcXXTe8SymFXeM&ned=us">499 additional articles.</a></p>