Matt Hickey of The Daily was first to start rumors of an upcoming Microsoft software for iPad. Back in November 2011, the Office business app was still being planned – so they say. A photo of the app running on an iPad showed up yesterday on the same tech blog. Microsoft denied the rumors and claim it’s nothing more than a fabrication but The Daily editor Peter Ha stands by his story, saying that Microsoft for iPad is real.
According to reports, Microsoft Office for iPad is still being tested. Developers are hard at work so users can create Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents with the application. Files created with the app can be accessed online for downloads and edits. Interface is almost similar to the OneNote app but sports the Metro design found on the Windows Phone.
Just a few hours after the photo went online, Microsoft was quick to deny rumors. A company spokesperson released a statement to The New York Times’ Bits saying that the story is inaccurate and based purely on speculation. Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet adds that the photo posted wasn’t real. The Daily stands denies fabricating the image. Peter Ha explained that the app was demoed to their team by someone from Microsoft.
Microsoft shouldn’t be afraid of releasing an Office app for iOS. Such a move can’t possibly threaten sales of their desktop and laptop licenses because computers are still irreplaceable commodities in homes and offices. iPads make up 80 percent of the world’s tablet sales. Microsoft can take advantage of that and give users the opportunity to create and edit documents while on-the-go.
