Office For iPad Reportedly Good To Go, Awaiting Launch Date

Back in 2011, we caught wind of the possibility that Microsoft could be bringing their Office productivity suites onto the iPad. This is a no-brainer actually given the ubiquitous nature of the iPad, but for whatever reason, Microsoft has yet to release the app fast forward three years later.

There have been conflicting reports suggesting that Office for the iPad would only be released as a touch-friendly version for Windows was released, but then later it was suggested that the app might even see a release in the first half of 2014. Now according to a report from Reuters, it has been revealed that Office for the iPad is actually good to go, and that they’re just waiting on Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, to decide on a launch date.

It is unclear as to what the hold up might be about, but reports are claiming that the delay in the release could be impacting Microsoft in a negative way. There are claims that due to the lack of support on iOS devices that companies are starting to find alternative pieces of software that works on mobile devices, like Quip, for example.

Some companies, like New York’s Artivest, a financial services startup, have claimed to have done away with the need for Office entirely. According to the company’s CIO, David Levine, “There are no more Microsoft Word documents being circulated. If someone emails me a Word document, I’ll tell them to put it in Quip.”

According to the report from Reuters, “The rapid rise of apps such as Quip, Haiku Deck, Prezi, Paper, Smartsheet, Good and Evernote, not to mention Google Apps, is nibbling away at the Office franchise. That is particularly true among mid-sized and smaller companies, which tend to be more frugal and less dependent on legacy Office documents or spreadsheets.”

Of course they can’t speak for all companies, but safe to say that this is definitely something that Microsoft needs to work towards and we can only hope that we will be seeing a release in the next couple of months. What do you guys think? Will releasing Office for the iPad or mobile in general be a good strategy for Microsoft?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Tablets
Tags: Apps, iPad, Microsoft, office