Google has announced the release and beta of Google Spreadsheets.  For the full rundown on what it is with screenshots, check out Google Blogoscoped.

The timing is right though, I’m ready for the free versions of tools that were really formally only available in Microsoft Office, which costs hundreds of dollars.  Is Google Spreadsheets as good as Excel?  No, of course not, definitely not if we’re talking about features.  However, I don’t use 90% of Excel’s features, or 90% of the features in Word, or Powerpoint.  With Writely being purchased by Google, you know a Google web word processing product is on the way, if Writely isn’t good enough already to do the job.

So, I’m a power computer user and do lots of “business” on a computer using Word and Excel daily, but the functionality I use is covered in these free web tools.  The next computer I buy will not contain Office, and I’ll just use web office applications.

I wonder what percentage of Microsoft’s customers will be coming with me?