Reports suggest Office for iPad is still coming, despite Microsoft's denial
Though Microsoft has portrayed a hands-on report with a purported pre-release build of Office for iPad as "inaccurate," rumors continue to point toward an iPad-optimized version of Office being a reality.
A "working prototype" of Office for iPad was detailed on Tuesday by Matt Hickey of The Daily, News Corp's iPad news publication. But Microsoft quickly dismissed the details as "based on inaccurate rumors and speculation."
Following Microsoft's denial, Peter Ha, the news organization's editor of its Apps & Tech section, took to his official Twitter account to claim that an image that accompanied the story in The Daily showing a purported screenshot of Office for iPad was not fake. He also shared a picture of the supposed iOS icon for Microsoft's Office application.
He also hinted at more details to come, stating that if Microsoft was unhappy with the original report detailing Office for iPad, "they likely won't be happy with our follow up." Later on Tuesday, he tweeted, "Today was fun. Let's do it again tomorrow!"
Separately, Microsoft insider Mary-Jo Foley at ZDNet wrote a column stating that Microsoft's "denial" does not mean that the company is not building Office for the iPad. In fact, she said she expects that the Redmond, Wash., software company actually is working on a version of its productivity suite for Apple's touchscreen tablet.
"So what about Microsoft's claims that The Daily's photos weren't of a real Microsoft product?" she wrote. "Remember: If something like the actual UI screen in a photo isn't yet final and subject to change in anyway, Microsoft execs technically can say this with a (semi) straight face)."
For its part, Microsoft's Corporate Communications arm took to its official Twitter account to release its own statement: "Great respect for The Daily but regrettably someone is giving them bad info, and that'll be clear in the 'coming weeks.'"
The "coming weeks" quote from Microsoft refers to the original story from author Matt Hickey, who indicated that Office for iPad could soon be submitted for approval to Apple's App Store and released, as he said, "in the coming weeks." Foley said such quick availability of the application strikes her as "potentially overly optimistic."
Hickey's hands-on impressions with Office claimed that it will allow users to create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint photos locally and online, in an application that uses Microsoft's trademark Metro user interface.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
Terrible reporting.
And Apple said they weren't making a phone. But yet here we see two screenshots of Office on an iPad.
Oops, we promised to let this be revealed at the keynote presentation. Its just we are so excited about this product that our undisiplined employees spilled the beans. Thank god Steve's not around anymore since this major announcement will fall flat now. Hope they don't kick us out of the keynote. Sorry.
Before people start thinking it would never happen- if Office is $50 (or whatever)- thats still $15 that Apple gets for doing absolutely nothing. They'll be quite happy promoting a product that will sell a lot (because for the most part- if you were going to buy their iWork suite- you would've done it already).
Could we see a simultaneous iPad 3 and Office for iPad release? Thats the product that Apple pimps in it's keynote?
Apple. Talk about a Microsoft product. In a keynote.
Sure.
(because for the most part- if you were going to buy their iWork suite- you would've done it already).
Or? you don't even have an iPad yet?
And Apple said they weren't making a phone. But yet here we see two screenshots of Office on an iPad.
True. I think that Microsoft would be dumb not to be working on Office for the iPad but then again at this late point is there an audience left. As you say most folks that have an iPad got Pages etc (or one of the clone office apps) already. So perhaps they are not and what was seen was actually for their own tablets.
or maybe they are but that wasn't a shot of the app at all or it isn't 'near to ready' as some articles are claiming and that's what they are disputing more than anything else. Not that they are working on a possible app/apps
Or maybe it should read:
Oops, we promised to let this be revealed at the keynote presentation..
Apple doesn't pimp products from other companies when they made their own. So it would be Apple's iWork apps they would talk about, not Office.
I would expect (unfortunately) a delay that allows M$ several months of exclusive MS Office
OTB
True. I think that Microsoft would be dumb not to be working on Office for the iPad but then again at this late point is there an audience left. As you say most folks that have an iPad got Pages etc (or one of the clone office apps) already. So perhaps they are not and what was seen was actually for their own tablets.
LOTS of people who have pages, etc will still buy Office iPad if/when it comes out. As good as the iWork apps are, having the real office on the iPad would make life a lot simpler in many ways.
Please. Why keep it a secret? Office has no competition.
Indeed. Even NeoOffice beats the crap out of Office. Office hasn't had any competition since iWork '06 supplanted it.
?having the real office on the iPad?
I weep for the people who think they're actually going to get the "real Office" by buying this. I weep for the people who think their files will actually be compatible with the Mac and PC versions of Office when exporting them from any mobile version.
That would precede Windows 8. What are the odds of Office being available on iPad before Win8 tablets are available?
Almost everything can be called inaccurate. If a single detail is wrong but everything else is right, or if a everything is right but a single detail is missing, you can call it inaccurate. This is a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. Let MS hold on to their secrets and try and be showmen. I'll keep using Pages quite happily. When they show me Word for iPad, I'll look at it. On the desktop, I use both. Each for different things.
C'mon guys think about it!
C'mon guys think about it!
11. Microsoft needs to slow down Android Tablets as much as possible while they prepare to launch their tablet. Office for iPad (& later Office for Windows Tablets) is the perfect way to do that.
I weep for the people who think they're actually going to get the "real Office" by buying this. I weep for the people who think their files will actually be compatible with the Mac and PC versions of Office when exporting them from any mobile version.
Kind of thick on the melodrama, but whatever. I guess time will tell. I keep reading about problems importing/exporting docs from Office PC to Mac & vice versa. I have had zero problems with Word & Excel using Office 2011 for Mac & Office 2007 for PC. It works perfectly fine every time. There are some challenges with PowerPoint, but nothing I haven't been able to work around. I don't expect the iPad version to be able to do everything that the full version can, but I will be surprised if there are any conversion issues (besides limitations in the iPad version.) I guess we will see in a few weeks which one of us is right.
If Microsoft also made a mini version for the iPhone, then I'd take that too.
Indeed. Even NeoOffice beats the crap out of Office. Office hasn't had any competition since iWork '06 supplanted it.
I weep for the people who think they're actually going to get the "real Office" by buying this. I weep for the people who think their files will actually be compatible with the Mac and PC versions of Office when exporting them from any mobile version.
If there's any exporting involved, then I'd say that Microsoft have made as much a mess of it as Apple.
What I'd like to see is Microsoft define a sub-set format (Excel Mobile - wasn't that an oil tanker?) of features that would be guaranteed to be supported on any device, possibly even through a browser.