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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,287
30,349



office_logo-250x81.jpg
Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, considered one of the leading candidates to replace Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft, is reportedly open to the possibility of broadening distribution of the company's Office suite to platforms such as iOS and Android should he be named to the position, according to a report from Bloomberg.
Elop would probably move away from Microsoft's strategy of using these programs to drive demand for its flagship Windows operating system on personal computers and mobile devices, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the 49-year-old executive hasn't finalized or publicly discussed his analysis of the business
The possibility of bringing Office to iOS has been rumored for a number of years, particularly since the 2010 introduction of the iPad. While Microsoft has an Office Mobile app for iPhone to allow subscribers to the company's Office 365 service to perform basic editing on Office documents, a full-fledged Office suite for iPad and iPhone has yet to appear. According to the most recent reports, Office for iPad is awaiting completion of a "Touch First" interface that will come first to the Windows version of the suite in the early part of next year.

Elop spent nearly three years heading up Microsoft's Business Division, which is responsible for Office, before it was announced in September 2010 that he would be leaving the company to lead Nokia. Elop stepped down as Nokia CEO alongside the September announcement that Microsoft would be acquiring Nokia's Devices and Services Division. He is scheduled to take charge of a new Microsoft division focused on devices such as Surface and Xbox, but is said to be under strong consideration to be named CEO.

Elop would reportedly also be open other major changes if he were to take charge of Microsoft, including selling off the Xbox division or shutting down the Bing search engine services. Outspoken Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw bluntly responded to Bloomberg's request for comment, stating that "We appreciate Bloomberg's foray into fiction and look forward to future episodes."

Article Link: Office for iOS Could See a Boost if Stephen Elop Named Microsoft CEO
 

Alumeenium

macrumors regular
May 15, 2013
200
68
Elop Destroyed Nokia's value in a little over 6 months after taking over, I would seriously short M$ stock if he's tapped
 

BlackbookGuy

macrumors regular
Feb 21, 2012
134
3
Just not sure I'd use this much. I like the way Pages is being whittled down a bit since I really only need basic document editing and basic layout.

Word on iOS seems overkill for my needs. Maybe if I used it with a bluetooth keyboard... even so, I think that for the times I need the functionality of Office apps I would prefer a computer not a tablet as it would be for more complicated tasks that would benefit from more screen space and mouse/keyboard precision.
 

RedCroissant

Suspended
Aug 13, 2011
2,268
96
Someone other than a Steve/ Stephen maybe?

I think these Computer Giants should stop making guys with Steve as their first name the CEO. Maybe someone named Mark or Tom, or even someone with an awesome Irish name or something. Anything but Steve/Stephen.

Because then it really is going to get to the point where Microsoft and Apple fan people will wear shirts with " My Steve is better than your Steve," and then it's just going to get even uglier.
 

macuserx86

macrumors 6502a
Jun 12, 2006
622
3
Selling off Xbox? The only profitable and loved part of your company?

Wow, just saw off your legs why don't you MS :rolleyes:
 

jader201

macrumors newbie
Jun 18, 2009
29
98
Of all of the things that I hope change direction when Microsoft gets a new CEO, Office for iOS is the very least of my concerns.
 

JackieTreehorn

macrumors 6502
May 22, 2005
491
427
Amsterdam
Boost in what? By the time they got Office on the iPad, we will have moved on to iWatches and dictate our work directly to the cloud and take holidays on Mars.
 

dumastudetto

macrumors 601
Aug 28, 2013
4,989
7,128
Los Angeles, USA
Nobody needs Microsoft Office. Pages, Numbers, Keynote are the killer apps that are driving productivity for millions of enterprise users on desktop and mobile platforms.
 

ravenvii

macrumors 604
Mar 17, 2004
7,585
492
Melenkurion Skyweir
Nobody needs Microsoft Office. Pages, Numbers, Keynote are the killer apps that are driving productivity for millions of enterprise users on desktop and mobile platforms.

You forgot a smilie there. I would fix your post myself, but that's against the rules, so I'm relegated to merely letting you know. :)
 

nutmac

macrumors 603
Mar 30, 2004
6,043
7,287
Hiring a failed CEO to run one of the top companies in the world seems rather backward. Elop was obviously a mole and intentionally sabotaged Nokia, but still, Microsoft can and should do better.

Having said that, I think Microsoft should split into two separate companies, one for businesses and enterprises (Windows, Office, Azure) and one for consumer (Xbox, Windows Live services).

I am not sure what to do with Nokia and Windows Phone, as I frankly think there's no room for 3rd mobile platform to thrive as a major player (even though I personally prefer Windows Phone over Android for overall polish).

For the later consumer group, I would acquire Yahoo! and let Marissa Meyer run it.
 

knewsom

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2005
949
0
Elop Destroyed Nokia's value in a little over 6 months after taking over, I would seriously short M$ stock if he's tapped

Elop made Nokia a long-term competitor again. Their sales are growing faster than anyone else's right now, and their hardware is the best in the business.
 

LordJohnWhorfin

macrumors regular
May 28, 2002
166
37
Selling off Xbox? The only profitable and loved part of your company?

Wow, just saw off your legs why don't you MS :rolleyes:

I was surprised to read recently that this division is not the cash cow it's perceived to be. It consistently lost money until 2008, spiked in 2011 but profits dropped dramatically in 2012.
http://www.neowin.net/news/report-microsofts-xbox-division-has-lost-nearly-3-billion-in-10-years

I'll grant you that it has probably done more to create "fanbois" than any other product they ever made, and that as such they should probably keep it even as a loss leader -- but the harsh reality is that Microsoft has consistently failed to expand its business profitably in any other areas than Windows and Office: every single new product is a massive failure (Bing, Zune, Surface, even Windows 8) despite Microsoft's desperate attempts at copying Apple's successful products.
 

Quu

macrumors 68040
Apr 2, 2007
3,419
6,789
I hope he does get the CEO position just for the entertainment value of seeing him drive Microsoft in to the centre of the earth. :D
 

bloggerblog

macrumors regular
Jun 27, 2007
103
21
Microsoft should split into two separate companies, one for businesses and enterprises (Windows, Office, Azure) and one for consumer (Xbox, Windows Live services).

I would suggest they split into at least 3x:
- Windows
- Office
- XBox

There are too many limitations in Windows because Microsoft wants you to buy their Office suite, like a dictionary and decent email client.
 

nutmac

macrumors 603
Mar 30, 2004
6,043
7,287
Elop made Nokia a long-term competitor again. Their sales are growing faster than anyone else's right now, and their hardware is the best in the business.

While many of us have lots of respect for both Nokia's phones and Windows Phone operating system, the fact is, they own very small fraction of the overall market.

Although the point is arguable, I think had Nokia went with Android platform, it would've been much more successful than it is now. Now, I personally prefer Windows Phone over Android, but the fact is, Windows Phone is not what larger market wants.
 

nbuubu

macrumors regular
Jun 15, 2010
188
58
Last edited:

Glenny2lappies

macrumors 6502a
Sep 29, 2006
574
365
Brighton, UK
The problem is tablets are horrible for *creating* content. Specifically, the lack of a windowed interface on the iPad (et al) makes it a royal PITA to type whilst researching. So whether it's Office or iWerk, it's still a rotten user experience.
 
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