According to The Daily report Microsoft is planning to bring its Office software suite to Apple’s iPad. It is now working on a version of Microsoft Office for the iPad. With this new approach, Microsoft would be wandering away from desktop computers and might be compete with the Apple’s iWork products which includes pages, numbers and keynote.
In addition to iPad version, Microsoft releases a new version of Office for OS X Lion which is expected next year. Usually the current desktop version, Office 2011, officially supports iOS version up to Snow leopard.
When the iPad was first introduced many users complained about it that it does not contain any reliable word processing program and the pages application from Apple was only restricted to the iOS platform, very difficult to transfer to other platforms. With Microsoft working on a solution for the iPad, the $ 499 device may actually become a possible option for Laptop replacement for users still dependent on MS Office.
Microsoft already has numerous popular — and some not so popular — apps available for the iPad. They include Bing, MSN Onit and MSN OnPoint. There are even more available for iPhone, including Microsoft Tag, Windows Live Messenger and Wonderwall.
Office is one Microsoft’s biggest sellers, second only to Windows. In 2011, the software suite should earn more than $15 billion in revenue, according to Business Insider. By branching out to new platforms - like the iPad, that number should only grow.
Besides Office, Microsoft is betting heavily on the next version of its flagship product, Windows 8, which, with its graphically focused Metro interface, has proven controversial. If it flops, the company’s fiscal future could rest on the performance of Office. Spreading Office to new platforms therefore makes a lot of sense for Microsoft.
The full versions of Office for Mac and Windows 8 are expected to launch near the end of 2012, though the iPad version could come well ahead of that date.
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