A report from The Daily claims that sources have confirmed Microsoft has an iPad version of its Office app in the works along with a new Lion compatible version of the desktop suite as well. This news comes in after former Microsoft Business Unit head Stephen Elop (who is now the CEO of Nokia) strongly hinted towards it and told T3 they were considering it.
Up until now, the iWork suite of apps including Keynote, Numbers, and Pages have been the go-to apps for productivity on the iOS platform while also being Microsoft Office’s counterpart on the OS X. If Microsoft happens to implement Microsoft Office well, then we could possibly see Office for iOS eating into some of Apple’s and the iWork suite’s user base. The app is expected to be introduced at a similar price point to the iWork suite as well.
The Daily reported the following:
It’s assumed that both of these would work with Office 365 as well as mobile versions, such as Windows Phone’s Office Hub. Because it would be compatible with these full suites rather than as stand-alone apps, the pricing will most likely be significantly lower than existing Office products. In fact, it’s likely the cost will be around the $10 price point that Apple has established for its Pages, Numbers and Keynote products.
As of right now, Microsoft seems to have an important decision to make. Should they provide the critical business software which is needed on the iPad and risk hurting their Windows PC business by making their products replaceable? Or should they skip out on the idea and continue to push their own products? Share your thoughts and opinions below!
Source: The Daily, Bloomberg
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