Microsoft working to bring its Office apps to iPad, Mac OS X Lion
Microsoft is preparing a new edition of its Office suite for Apple's iPad, as well as an updated Office for Mac OS X Lion users.
According to a report by The Daily, Microsoft is "actively working on adapting its popular software suite for Apple?s tablet," in recognition of the fact that iPad now accounts for the vast majority of tablets sold, and now represents a market nearly as large as Mac OS X itself.
The report also notes Microsoft is working to complete Office 2012 for Windows, already in beta, for release next year. An updated edition for Lion would presumably be made available through the Mac App Store. The existing Office 2011 only supports Snow Leopard officially.
By adding support for Lion document features such as Auto Save and Versions, Microsoft could bring its Mac Office into parity with Apple's iWork suite, which has been updated for Lion but hasn't been significantly revised since the release of "iWork 09" nearly three years ago.
On iOS, Apple has enjoyed an uncontested run at providing its iWork productivity software for the iPad, as well as the smaller screen of the iPhone and iPod touch. Apple's Pages, Keynote and Numbers apps for iOS have remained at the top of the App Store's highest grossing iPad apps.
Microsoft on iPad
While failing to predict the popularity of Apple's iOS as a mobile platform, Microsoft has made some efforts to bring its apps and services to the App Store.
It has delivered an iPad version of its Bing search app as well as MSN Onit and OnPoint apps, and has released a Tag barcode scanner, OneNote and Windows Live Messenger clients for iPhone.
Microsoft also just announced a deal to license its enterprise protocols involved with Remote Desktop Services, Windows Azure, Active Directory and SharePoint, to third party developer Agreeya Mobility, which plans to build apps for Apple's iOS as well as Android and other mobile operating systems.
While Microsoft has largely ignored Apple's iOS as it worked to improve Windows Mobile 6, then build Windows Phone 7 as a viable competitor, it's own mobile platforms have failed to gain traction.
Bad news for WP7, Windows 8
After a year on the market, Windows Phone 7 hasn't attracted meaningful sales, and the future prospects of Nokia's WP7-based Lumia line have not been encouraging.
Microsoft is also struggling to bring Windows 8 to market at least a year from now, meaning it will hit the market only after another year of iPad sales further erode the slim market left for non-iPad tablets.
A new study by Forrester notes that while it is "bullish" on Microsoft's new software platform, it believes that the company has missed the "peak of consumer desire" for a Windows-based tablet, noting that in just six months, consumers' interest in a future Windows tablet had dropped by 25 percent.
Across 2011, Google's Android 3.0 tablet effort has completely failed, HP has abandoned its own rival webOS tablet project, and RIM has been embarrassed by the absolute lack of interest in its PlayBook. The only "tablets" garnering any attention outside of iPad are cheap loss leader devices running year old versions of Android incompatible with the tablet apps Google hoped to sell and effectively acting as large screen smartphones without mobile calling features.
By shifting its focus to support iOS, Microsoft appears to be acknowledging that its chances of building a viable competitor to Apple's mobile products are not just a year away, but shrinking in potential every day as even its own employees leave the company to work on iOS related projects.
Microsoft's Technical Evangelist Mike Swanson, who has worked for the company for the last eleven years, recently announced that his side interest in developing apps for iOS devices has grown into a full time job, resulting in his departure from Microsoft to focus on building "new and exciting" mobile software.
According to a report by The Daily, Microsoft is "actively working on adapting its popular software suite for Apple?s tablet," in recognition of the fact that iPad now accounts for the vast majority of tablets sold, and now represents a market nearly as large as Mac OS X itself.
The report also notes Microsoft is working to complete Office 2012 for Windows, already in beta, for release next year. An updated edition for Lion would presumably be made available through the Mac App Store. The existing Office 2011 only supports Snow Leopard officially.
By adding support for Lion document features such as Auto Save and Versions, Microsoft could bring its Mac Office into parity with Apple's iWork suite, which has been updated for Lion but hasn't been significantly revised since the release of "iWork 09" nearly three years ago.
On iOS, Apple has enjoyed an uncontested run at providing its iWork productivity software for the iPad, as well as the smaller screen of the iPhone and iPod touch. Apple's Pages, Keynote and Numbers apps for iOS have remained at the top of the App Store's highest grossing iPad apps.
Microsoft on iPad
While failing to predict the popularity of Apple's iOS as a mobile platform, Microsoft has made some efforts to bring its apps and services to the App Store.
It has delivered an iPad version of its Bing search app as well as MSN Onit and OnPoint apps, and has released a Tag barcode scanner, OneNote and Windows Live Messenger clients for iPhone.
Microsoft also just announced a deal to license its enterprise protocols involved with Remote Desktop Services, Windows Azure, Active Directory and SharePoint, to third party developer Agreeya Mobility, which plans to build apps for Apple's iOS as well as Android and other mobile operating systems.
While Microsoft has largely ignored Apple's iOS as it worked to improve Windows Mobile 6, then build Windows Phone 7 as a viable competitor, it's own mobile platforms have failed to gain traction.
Bad news for WP7, Windows 8
After a year on the market, Windows Phone 7 hasn't attracted meaningful sales, and the future prospects of Nokia's WP7-based Lumia line have not been encouraging.
Microsoft is also struggling to bring Windows 8 to market at least a year from now, meaning it will hit the market only after another year of iPad sales further erode the slim market left for non-iPad tablets.
A new study by Forrester notes that while it is "bullish" on Microsoft's new software platform, it believes that the company has missed the "peak of consumer desire" for a Windows-based tablet, noting that in just six months, consumers' interest in a future Windows tablet had dropped by 25 percent.
Across 2011, Google's Android 3.0 tablet effort has completely failed, HP has abandoned its own rival webOS tablet project, and RIM has been embarrassed by the absolute lack of interest in its PlayBook. The only "tablets" garnering any attention outside of iPad are cheap loss leader devices running year old versions of Android incompatible with the tablet apps Google hoped to sell and effectively acting as large screen smartphones without mobile calling features.
By shifting its focus to support iOS, Microsoft appears to be acknowledging that its chances of building a viable competitor to Apple's mobile products are not just a year away, but shrinking in potential every day as even its own employees leave the company to work on iOS related projects.
Microsoft's Technical Evangelist Mike Swanson, who has worked for the company for the last eleven years, recently announced that his side interest in developing apps for iOS devices has grown into a full time job, resulting in his departure from Microsoft to focus on building "new and exciting" mobile software.
Comments
They are so corporate driven, that had to be the straw that broke the camel's back, when it became apparent that iDevices were making inroads and iCTOs were calling them up and asking why Office wasn't on the iPad yet. Because I know there are corp. managers just dying to do a pivot chart on their iPad....
Meanwhile I hope the folks behind Neo Office get an iPad version out first.
Part of the problem I think is the focus on hardware. Android people love to brag about the size of the screen, camera megapixels, processor speed, etc of their particular device. The real strength of iPad is the OS, user interface, smoothness/speed, programming API, and ease of use. Anyone can make a rectangle shaped device with a bright screen, camera, and wifi.
Microsoft and Google need to ditch their current bloated/clunky operating systems and go with a new slim, fast, smooth, nice looking OS that runs native code not virtualized Java/C# junk programs. It has to have a strong API that has good fast OpenGL accelerated controls. Much the same way Apple has done.
They can still differentiate their platform from Apple with a different UI paradigm and other enhanced features. At this point, they need to match AND overtake how well the iPad works to grab market share. I just don't think the fundamental architecture of Android and Windows Mobile can do it.
And who wants Office anyway unless you're corporate and tied to that old horse.
I would be surprised if MS?s swipe OS will go much beyond the computer.
Bring it on!
Making it available for the android market is also good. We will see how many sales there are per market. I bet Apples App Store sells more than Android. Android tablets are kinda lame right now.
Tom
Now...if only Nintendo can see the handwriting on the wall.
Tom
It won't happen just yet, but if they're still hurting in a year or two, then perhaps there is hope. Times are changing and the portable gaming business is only going to be seeing worse times.
Amazing ! Times when S Jobs had to make compromises to have Microsoft products on Mac are over. The balance of power is reversed, and the one who depends on the other is not the same ...
Are you saying that M$ depends on Apple?
You are delusional.
Now...if only Nintendo can see the handwriting on the wall.
Tom
If Nintendo is smart (which right now they are not) they wouldn't have too.
Nintendo has an absolutely massive collection of content that they could be delivered to their 3DS platform at reasonable prices... Imagine all of their NES, SNES, N64, GBA, DS content being available for .99 to $5.99. Nintendo would have no problem reaching their sales goals... The days of $29.99/$39.99 per cartridge, per user are largely over for the company...
Are you saying that M$ depends on Apple?
You are delusional.
Agreed. With the pathetic offering that iWork is, Apple still needs Office.
If Nintendo is smart (which right now they are not) they wouldn't have too.
Nintendo has an absolutely massive collection of content that they could be delivered to their 3DS platform at reasonable prices... Imagine all of their NES, SNES, N64, GBA, DS content being available for .99 to $5.99. Nintendo would have no problem reaching their sales goals... The days of $29.99/$39.99 per cartridge, per user are largely over for the company...
Either way...it is decision time. iOS has momentum and would be a cash cow for them. There is more profit in software sales than hardware and there is a whole heck of a lot more iOS devices than Nintendo 3DS devices out there.
Who wants to carry 2 devices around anyway?
Tom
Now...if only Nintendo can see the handwriting on the wall.
Tom
In Nintendo's case it would actually be a terrible move. The majority of their profit is driven by hardware sales and software exclusively released on their own hardware. Additionally, none of their software is suited to a device without tactile controls.
The wii is a very good system - it's the online experience that is lacking. They should borrow from the app store rather than acquiesce to it.
Agreed. With the pathetic offering that iWork is, Apple still needs Office.
Not sure Apple needs MS Office though! Ever tried Neo Office? Or Open Office?
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
http://www.openoffice.org/
Additionally, none of their software is suited to a device without tactile controls.
That's why they're going to be releasing their bluetooth Nintendo D-pad for iOS devices.
Agreed. With the pathetic offering that iWork is, Apple still needs Office.
Apple has been doing unfathomably well without office on iOS. They don't seem to need it to me. Some iOS users may need it but that hasn't hurt sales. Sales have only been limited by production constraints.