Why would Microsoft release Office for the iPad?
I know that the reports that MS will be releasing Office for the iPad in the very near future are less than a certainty, but why would Microsoft want to release Office for the iPad? Windows 8 tablets should start showing up in a few months, and having a prime bit of software that could help drive sales available on a competitors hardware doesn't make sense to me. Is this just a rumor, or is it real and I am missing something about why MS would be inclined to do this?
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Microsoft is "leaving money on the table", big money, even by their standards, for every minute Office for iPad isn't out there. It will be a big seller - everyone knows it, even if they don't like it.
Even with its own tablet OS to arrive in months, IF Office for iPad could be included as part of Apple's iPad 3 dog & pony, it would be huge for MS.
Remember, MS is not coming out with a tablet, just the Windows version of a tablet, which makes tablets sales still iffy for them. But there would be no iffy about sales of Office for iPad.
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I dunno. As previously mentioned the price tag for Office would be steep. I do not think Apple is going to market it on Microsoft's behalf without a serious cut in the Almighty Dollar of each sale.
Besides, I would never put MS office on an IPad. Maybe a reader only version of the MS Office product suite -or- a more stable software product like LibreOffice for IPad. I am not an open office bigot but if you see the need to spend your almighty dollar on something you do not have to be my guest.
I dunno. As previously mentioned the price tag for Office would be steep. I do not think Apple is going to market it on Microsoft's behalf without a serious cut in the Almighty Dollar of each sale.
Besides, I would never put MS office on an IPad. Maybe a reader only version of the MS Office product suite -or- a more stable software product like LibreOffice for IPad. I am not an open office bigot but if you see the need to spend your almighty dollar on something you do not have to be my guest.
It's unclear if Microsoft intends to release Office for the iPad before releasing it for Windows 8 tablets. It may have been something they wanted to have ready for a particular time, after Office had been already offered on Windows 8 tablets. That would have given Windows 8 tablets a period of exclusivity.
The cat is out of the bag now though, so I expect we'll see Office on the iPad sooner rather than later. Microsoft will help preserve the strength of its Office franchise by having it on the iPad as well. Apple is selling a lot of iPads and will sell many more, so it makes sense for Microsoft to have Office available there.
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I'm not sure that Microsoft will actually release Office for the iPad, but I put the odds at better than even. There sure are plenty of rumors that point that way. I absolutely agree with jimlynch that it makes sense to hold off until the release of Windows 8 tablets, otherwise it would take away a significant selling point. At the same time, I wonder whether Microsoft is viewing this through the prism of a hardware or software manufacturer. Greater penetration into the productivity suite market is a good thing for software sales, even on a competitor's hardware, but if that is at the cost of your own hardware sales, where do you find the right balance? What are the projected costs for loss of future hardware sales. Dunno, but I'm sure someone at Microsoft does. If those numbers don't add up, perhaps we won't see Office on the iPad after all. I also question how well it would sell at a comparable price point to what Microsoft is currently charging for Office. I think I paid well over $400 for Office Professional for my, er, office. That would be a pretty shocking price point to see in the App Store.