This Is Googles answer to traditional Office Suites. Normal desktop productivity applications have to be bought and installed on personal computers and then regularly updated. Googles office applications reside on the internet, are free and do not need installation.
All you need is a web browser, such as Googles Chrome, and broadband internet access. Because all your files are stored on the internet (in the cloud) only 1 version of a document need exist and anyone with the correct permission can view and/or edit the documents. This is a boon for anyone needing to collaborate and share information.
The main Google office applications are: