Microsoft 'Looking At' Bringing Office to Apple's Mac App Store

[MacRumors]

All Things Digital reports that Microsoft is "looking at" the possibility of offering its Office productivity suite through the Mac App Store, a move which could be a tremendous boost the new marketplace for Mac OS X applications modeled on Apple's successful iOS App Store.

"It's something we are looking at," Microsoft's Amanda Lefebvre told Mobilized. However, the company said its product is already available in lots of places as well as via the Web–including in a new, free 30-day trial version.

"It's something we haven't ruled out," she said. "We just have to see how that relates to our business."

It is unclear how Microsoft would deal with Apple's restrictions on Mac App Store content and Apple's standard 30% cut of revenue from applications sold through the store if it did in fact to offer Office through the marketplace, but such a move would obviously be a significant vote of confidence in the Mac App Store given Office's widespread popularity.

Soon after the iPad's introduction early last year, Microsoft offered similar sentiments about bringing Office to Apple's tablet device, but the company had decided by the time the iPad actually launched in early April that it had "no current plans" to make the move.

Microsoft has, however, taken its first steps onto the iOS platform with last week's release of OneNote, and the company noted in today's interview that it is committed to bringing Office to more platforms.

Article Link: Microsoft 'Looking At' Bringing Office to Apple's Mac App Store

 

[Consultant]

Retail stores take a big cut too. Some more than 30%.

App Store's cut is completely reasonable in the industry.

 

[dscuber9000]

If they sell the software separately I might upgrade my Word.

 

[macduke]

30% cut is reasonable considering the potential for increased volume. This will also help shut down some of Apple's momentum as the premiere office suite on the Mac App Store.

So Adobe, can we expect CS6 on the Mac App Store?

Haha, when hell freezes over...though I can see them selling more basic products like Elements and Acrobat Reader (free) on here.

 

[lunarworks]

Get with the future, or get left behind.

(Except for in enterprise, of course.)

 

[Full of Win]

I'll take Word only please. I wonder if they will try to compete with Pages.

 

[Richard1028]

"It's something we haven't ruled out," she said. "We just have to see how that relates to our business."


LOL. It seems Apple doesn't know when it's been given the brush off.


Excactly *why* in god's name would MS need the App Store to move copies of office and forego 30% of their revenue by doing so?

 

[stagmeister]

I wouldn't be completely surprised if Apple & Microsoft made a deal so that Microsoft got more than 70%. Just to get them on the store.

 

[kcmac]

I can buy the office suite for $20 through our company. I guess the 30% apple take is just cutting too much into their business.

 

[haruhiko]

I guess we need M$ office on the iOS more.

 

[David085]

If they sell it separately and have Outlook 2011 I will upgrade it on my MBP since I only have the Office Home And Student 2011 without Outlook, I Purchase the Home and Business 2011 for my MP and that already his Outlook.

 

[applemagic123]

I hope they still offer the software to buy from a third party because that would suck for people who want office who are not on snow leopard.

They would lose money if they only offered office for mac in the mac app store.

 

[mingoglia]

If they sell it separately and have Outlook 2011 I will upgrade it on my MBP since I only have the Office Home And Student 2011 without Outlook, I Purchase the Home and Business 2011 on my MP and that already his Outlook.

If you haven't used Outlook 2011 yet it's absolutely awesome. Definitely worth the upgrade. Office 2011 in general is exponentially better. I'd say it's still not as fast as the Windows version but at least it's ALOT more usable... and quite a bit faster. I for the first time for as long as I can remember have had Fusion closed for the two days since I've installed 2011.

 

[ghostface147]

Bring it. Not as if iOS (excluding iPod Touch) has any issues with enterprise adoption (although there are some issues keeping some away), but Office on iOS? Hell yeah.

I am guessing OneNote is just a small test of the waters.

 

[rorschach]

"It's something we haven't ruled out," she said. "We just have to see how that relates to our business."


LOL. It seems Apple doesn't know when it's been given the brush off.


Excactly *why* in god's name would MS need the App Store to move copies of office and forego 30% of their revenue by doing so?

Do you really think retail stores give their limited shelf space to companies for free?

 

[notabadname]

Yeah, I bet Apple's 30% is no more than the sum of the total "traditional" distribution costs, the retailers actual price to MS, packaging, physical media and of course the fact that you produce more than you sell, to simply sit around on store shelves. I bet Microsoft's take-home is very similar, if not better with a digital download model.

 

[some1uDNTknow]

Who really needs MS Office?
OppenOffice does the exact samething mostly...

 

[08380728]

Apple to M$ 'Sorry M$ Junkware is prohibited on the Mac App Store. Come back in 10 years with your new Cocoa Apps and we'll reassess the request'.

This is the kind of junk that should be banned from the Mac App Store, along with all that *****e Adobe peddles and any other Carbon junk that developers have been too lazy to rebuild in Cocoa. While on the point of junkware, the iOS App Store should also ban the rubbish showing up with Microsoft folder and other icons. Unfortunately the iOS store has become a dumping ground which surprisingly is slipping thru Apple's validation process.

 

[MrNomNoms]

Retail stores take a big cut too. Some more than 30%.

App Store's cut is completely reasonable in the industry.

That then doesn't take into account that Microsoft doesn't sell directly to retail stores but through distributors - so that is even more cost added to the equation. When you take into account all the markups along the supply chain the appstore provided by Apple is the cheapest way to deliver a product to the market with the smallest overhead possible.

 

[Cinch]

Who really needs MS Office?
OppenOffice does the exact samething mostly...

+1

And to go further who really needs iWorks, when OpenOffice and/or Google Docs will do just the same for free. Google Docs is the way to go IMHO.

Whenever this topic arises, I alway think of Bill Gates and his $50+ billion fortune. He got the whole world convinced that they need to paid handsomely for a word processor and a spreadsheet every couple of years. Brilliant!

 

[btbeme]

Sorry, but Office for the iPad isn't a realistic possibility until the 2TB iPad is released.

 

[Mr. Gates]

Who really needs MS Office?
OppenOffice does the exact samething mostly...

That is some Funny stuff.

I am sorry to tell you this but you are running at 35 -50 % of the functionality of "Real" Microsoft Office

I'm not trying to be a Jerk,...It's just the Facts

 

[weckart]

Apple to M$ 'Sorry M$ Junkware is prohibited on the Mac App Store. Come back in 10 years with your new Cocoa Apps and we'll reassess the request'.

O ye gods! Stop with the mindless fanboy nonsense already! Apple isn't releasing any more Carbon apps itself, right? Oh...

 

[Avalontor]

+1

And to go further who really needs iWorks, when OpenOffice and/or Google Docs will do just the same for free. Google Docs is the way to go IMHO.

Whenever this topic arises, I alway think of Bill Gates and his $50+ billion fortune. He got the whole world convinced that they need to paid handsomely for a word processor and a spreadsheet every couple of years. Brilliant!

Whenever this topic arises, I alway think of Steve Jobs and his billions. He got the whole world convinced that they need to paid handsomely for a iPod and an iPhone every year. Brilliant!

 

[btbeme]

I am sorry to tell you this but you are running at 35 -50 % of the functionality of "Real" Microsoft Office

That's about all most people need. I have yet to find a reason to include animated fonts in my business documents.

I'd much rather see Mariner Write make the journey to iOS. I simply cannot see Microsoft writing a thin version of ANYTHING, which is what they would have to do to land an iOS spot. I don't think it is in their DNA.