A few months back when it was rumored that the Office for iPad release had been delayed it was believed that Microsoft made this decision because it didn’t want the touch version of Office coming to a rival platform first. When CEO Satya Nadella took the reins it was only a matter of weeks before Office for iPad was released.
It appears that he’s not one to shy away from gaining advantage on a rival platform even if that entails holding off the release on Windows. A new report claims that its possible the company will release touch version of Office for Android before it comes to Windows tablets.
The report comes from ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley and she hears from her sources, which have been right at numerous occasions in the past, that touch version of Office for Android will arrive before the Windows version.
Now it has already been rumored quite a few times that the Windows version is slated for release later this year. However Foley hears that it may have been pushed to spring 2015. Its possible that the preview will be released in fall 2014 before the final release comes the following spring.
However it makes sense for the company to have a presence on both major platforms. It becomes harder for the competition when Office lands on a platform that was previously catered by third party developers.
Office is not available for Android tablets. Users can either go with Google Docs or use various third party solutions. With Microsoft already dominating the productivity segment on desktops, users are likely to gravitate towards its apps when they become available on the platform.
Microsoft isn’t commenting on its touch-focused Office plans at this point in time so there’s no official confirmation of the timeframe.
Filed in . Read more about Android, Microsoft, Office and Windows.