Microsoft Office for iPad to reportedly debut as soon as Mar. 27 [u]
A report on Monday claims Microsoft's long-awaited Office for iPad may hit the App Store as soon as Mar. 27, as CEO Satya Nadella is expected to announce the app during a scheduled "mobile first, cloud first" press event next week.
Microsoft Office 365 for iOS.
Citing sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, The Verge reports the Redmond, Wash., company will likely introduce Office for iPad at an upcoming event scheduled to take place in San Francisco on Mar. 17.
The event will be the first time Nadella will take the stage since being named CEO. Aside from the rumored Office for iPad announcement, Nadella will discuss Microsoft's "mobile first, cloud first" strategy.
As for the app itself, not much has been revealed, though some have speculated the software will be based on the operation of Microsoft's Office Mobile, which was released in June of 2013 as a companion to Office 365. The iPad app is also expected to require a subscription to Microsoft's cloud-based Office strategy, though the exact details and functionality have yet to be laid out.
The reveal will come weeks before Microsoft's Build conference, where the company is expected to outline Windows Phone 8.1 and the Windows 8.1 Update. A preview of Windows 9 may also be part of Build, though nothing has been officially confirmed.
On Monday, Microsoft released the cloud-based collaboration tool OneNote for Mac, effectively adding support for Apple's entire ecosystem. The app has been available on iOS for some time.
Update: ZDNet is also citing its own sources as saying Office for iPad will hit the App Store before the end of March. The publication notes the Mar. 27 event would be a good time for such an announcement.
Microsoft Office 365 for iOS.
Citing sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, The Verge reports the Redmond, Wash., company will likely introduce Office for iPad at an upcoming event scheduled to take place in San Francisco on Mar. 17.
The event will be the first time Nadella will take the stage since being named CEO. Aside from the rumored Office for iPad announcement, Nadella will discuss Microsoft's "mobile first, cloud first" strategy.
As for the app itself, not much has been revealed, though some have speculated the software will be based on the operation of Microsoft's Office Mobile, which was released in June of 2013 as a companion to Office 365. The iPad app is also expected to require a subscription to Microsoft's cloud-based Office strategy, though the exact details and functionality have yet to be laid out.
The reveal will come weeks before Microsoft's Build conference, where the company is expected to outline Windows Phone 8.1 and the Windows 8.1 Update. A preview of Windows 9 may also be part of Build, though nothing has been officially confirmed.
On Monday, Microsoft released the cloud-based collaboration tool OneNote for Mac, effectively adding support for Apple's entire ecosystem. The app has been available on iOS for some time.
Update: ZDNet is also citing its own sources as saying Office for iPad will hit the App Store before the end of March. The publication notes the Mar. 27 event would be a good time for such an announcement.
Comments
I predict it will be a subscription model at $9.95 per month.
It will compete against Google's cloud offerings, and Apple's app/cloud offerings, which are free.
2) I assume MS will give these apps away but require a login with a paid subscription from their site for this to work, this way they can avoid paying Apple 30%.
If they can offer features that make it value added service for the Enterprise this could be quite profitable for MS.
1) I don't know if MS is on the right track now but if this is real I applaud it because it's change.
2) I assume MS will give these apps away but require a login with a paid subscription from their site for this to work, this way they can avoid paying Apple 30%.
If they can offer features that make it value added service for the Enterprise this could be quite profitable for MS.
Yep. I agree.
Any Office for iPad with a subscription service will be DOA. So many companies are sticking with older, non-subscription versions of office because the new pricing model sucks. Hopefully this new CEO won't make such a dumb mistake like the previous ape did.
It will compete against Google's cloud offerings, and Apple's app/cloud offerings, which are free.
Google being "free" of course in a "our bots will crawl your documents non-stop for data which will help us sell advertising that targets you" sorta way.
I expect the announcement will be that this service is being extended to the iPad.
And let's face it, Apple's iWork apps don't support all the file types that the MS Office Suite does. And sometimes those are required by other applications you have to interface with.
Any Office for iPad with a subscription service will be DOA. So many companies are sticking with older, non-subscription versions of office because the new pricing model sucks. Hopefully this new CEO won't make such a dumb mistake like the previous ape did.
Office 365 is already a billion-dollar business and one of MS' fastest growing services so I'm not convinced it's DOA. Maybe among people who "hang out" at Apple rumor sites, sure but for people outside of that, I don't think so. But time will tell.
I predict it will be a subscription model at $9.95 per month.
It will compete against Google's cloud offerings, and Apple's app/cloud offerings, which are free.
Did you figure that out all by yourself, or did you just look at Microsoft's website for Office 365 Subscription pricing?
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/compare-microsoft-office-products-FX104165233.aspx?WT.mc_id=PS_google_O365Comm_office365_Text&WT.intid1=ODC_ENUS_FX101785584_XT104187042
The software requires a subscription to the existing Office 365 product. If you are a student, you can "rent" the software for $79.99 for four years. If not, you "rent" the software for $9.99 a month. So you predicted nothing. Apple's offerings are only free if you buy a new Mac, since last Fall. Owners of existing Macs must pay $19.99 per app, but you don't have to rent them.
Office 365 is already a billion-dollar business and one of MS' fastest growing services so I'm not convinced it's DOA. Maybe among people who "hang out" at Apple rumor sites, sure but for people outside of that, I don't think so. But time will tell.
You forgot to add, in addition to those that hang out on mediocre Apple rumor sites, those that live in their mom's basement playing video games all day.
I’m thinking back to the days when people thought Apple couldn’t survive without Office on the Mac. Fast forward seventeen years and today some people think Office can’t survive without the Mac and iOS. Holy cow.
I really want to see Microsoft converge Office as much as possible between iOS and Mac and make it more crash proof. It just cost me yet another four hours work yesterday and today.
LOL!
Free in the nice way that rape is free, you reckon?
Free in the nice way that rape is free, you reckon?
Brilliant! Competitors should start using that line in the marketing materials. "Google Stuff: Free...Like Rape!"
Seriously, I don't understand why more companies don't go after Google's creepy business model. Microsoft gave a half-hearted effort with the Scroogled campaign, but someone really needs to bring the hammer down.
And sometimes you even get a free beverage and drugs out of the deal.
(You're a horrible person!)
This should be very interesting.
First off all I am sure businesses will buy it for compatibility reasons.
Let's see how compatible feature for feature it will be to desktop office.
It will probably not support iCloud in favor of xDrive which a negative for me.
I don't see how it can beat iWorks' UI and feature set.
Time will tell.