Microsoft Reportedly Working on iPad Apps

[Digitalclips]

Actually, I believe that it was Lotus and their Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet which came about earlier than Excel.

True, I should have included Lotus in the same sentiment but it doesn't remove MS.

 

[dwhittington]

That would be EPIC!

I agree. I recently took a job where I have to use a PC again for the first time in 10 years. OneNote is the only worthwhile app on that computer.

 

[GekiRed]

Microsoft is a software company; of course they are going to write iPad Apps. They already have an iPhone apps; let alone tons of Mac applications.

Hell the practically saved Apple.

I can't wait for the idiotic Apple fanboys to post here saying one of the 3:

1. eww Microsoft gross!
2. Avoid their software like a plague
3. hahhahah MS admits defeat


Get over it. Microsoft is a software corporation. They develop software for tons of industries; including cars.

+1

Look at it this way, if it wasn't for the likes of Adobe and Microsoft, Apple wouldn't even be here today seeing as they were practically going under 10 or so years ago after sacking Steve Jobs, so it's pretty ironic that a lot of Apple fanboys are slagging off one of the very companies that pulled their precious company out of the fire!

 

[KirkL]

But Microsoft isn't in the software business. They're in the Windows + Office for Windows business. So it's weird that Ballmer would divert any attention away from that one core competency.

Then again, Microsoft has lost billions on XBox, lost billions on Online Services (including Bing), and did an epic face-plant fail with KIN. So it isn't weird that Microsoft would try something, anything, to appear relevant in the 21st century.

Oh is that why they develop an Office suite for Mac?

Actually the Xbox division has turned a profit and the Online Services are losing less money (but bleeding nonetheless). Agree about Kin.

Microsoft didn't "Save Apple" especially if you are referring to the buying of stocks.

Microsoft was settling a lawsuit over stolen QuickTime code. Apple had just bought next for a large sum so they weren't "Broke" by any means. Microsoft investing in Apple was more like a publicity stunt or them saying "We believe you guys will turn in profit again and we are going to back it up and develop IE and Office for your platform"

I cannot picture Word on iPad. It would be nice but Word is already so slow at just scrolling through large documents on Mac OS X that I continue to use Pages. Thus I have no problem with using Pages on the iPad whenever I happen to get one.

For the other people who like Word better than Pages or need it, Microsoft would be stupid not to give it a go. I can't picture it for a while though.

"On July 9, 1997, Gil Amelio was ousted by the board of directors after overseeing a three-year record-low stock price and crippling financial losses. Jobs became the interim CEO and began restructuring the company's product line. At the 1997 Macworld Expo, Steve Jobs announced that Apple would join Microsoft to release new versions of Microsoft Office for the Macintosh, and that Microsoft made a $150 million investment in non-voting Apple stock." - Wiki

Why would MS do a publicity stunt praising their main competitor? Do you people think before you come up with these theories?

I actually can picture Word on a iOS. Ribbon is practically made for a touch interface and Office 2011 is snappier than iWork

 

[Meldar]

I would much rather use NeoOffice on an iPad if it came down to a choice between that and MS Word.

I've never had a good experience with Office for Mac, nor have any of my family members...slow and crashes a lot. Perhaps that's just me, but I won't be paying for any potentially buggy Microsoft-developed iOS apps anytime soon. I'd prefer to stick with community-developed free software.

Though on that note, I'm not entirely sure third-party iPad app development is going to pick up speed enough to result in things like ports of common FOSS.

 

[chameleon81]

Imagine if building for iPad forced Microsoft to rethink the complexity of Word and make a really great, streamlined app... which then migrated up to a great new Word for Mac and PC users! (Though I’m sure “Word Pro” would remain, in all it’s bloated complexity. Or “Microsoft Word 2012 Professional and Commercial Edition, Ultimate Feature Pack 2 Office Bundle Version 1.4 Enhanced”.)

Nothing is complicated with MS Word for standart human brain. This simplicity baloney is getting annoying

 

[(marc)]

Office for the iPad would be great, if done right. If Office comes to the iPad, Apple will sell many more iPads and Microsoft will sell many copies of Office. A win-win situation!

 

[Tyler76]

no doubt this is good news for iPad and its users.