The US software giant is reportedly working on a version of its Office software package designed specifically for Apple iPad.
The interest of Microsoft towards software support for Apple’s product is rooted in the fact that the iPad makes up over 80 percent of the tablet market and millions of people worldwide use Office. This could mean huge profits for the software company, based in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft is also working on a version of Office for the new version of OS X codenamed Lion, coming out next year as the current version of the desktop package, Office 2011, officially supports iOS versions up to Snow Leopard. Windows users will also enjoy Office 2012 soon, currently in beta form.
Such an interest on Microsoft’s side towards Office is attributed to the popularity of the software bundle – it is the second biggest seller right after the popular operating system Windows. Also, Microsoft is expected to launch Windows 8 next year and if it flops, then revenues would have to come from Office.
Microsoft also want to be competitive with Apple, therefore the price of the new software product is expected to be in the range of 10 USD, the same price Apple charges for its Pages, Numbers and Keynote products.
Such a price can be achieved with a trick – both new Office software programs would work with Office 365 as well as mobile versions, such as Windows Phone’s Office Hub. Because of this compatibility with full suites rather than as stand-alone apps, the pricing will most likely be significantly lower than existing Office products.
Source: The Daily