Innovating Office For iPads: Or, Why Microsoft Should Stop Worrying And Learn ...
23.05.12
To address the iPad App Store as a market space because Apple's tablet is continuing to dominate the scene, is likely to do so for a while, is affecting PC sales , and is penetrating into business workplaces (with a recent survey saying 91% of business and IT pros using one for work). That's MS's traditional Office stomping ground. MS's own Windows 8-powered tablets aren't due for a while yet and will likely take a while longer to actually establish a decent market share, so delaying a tablet edition of Office until then could miss out on potential sales. It's also arguable that while Android is building its tablet market share, writing Office to be compatible with so many subtle variations of Android OS and hardware would be a lot more work than aiming at Apple's product.
So, let's assume that MS really is developing a version of Office for Apple's iPad that embodies some of its own Metro mobile OS styling as the leaked imagery hints. Let's guess that MS may even build in some of its upcoming SkyDrive tech to facilitate cloud storage, thus boosting business-user productivity (when users later download that PowerPoint slide they were working on to their office PC) and competing with Apple's iCloud system. That sounds great, doesn't it? MS fans, or those merely chained to MS by years of having to use its products, will get their familiar systems on a new and very chic computing platform that's ideal for use while commuting and which will enable perfect compatibility with their PC apps at home or at their desk.
Source: Fast Company