Late last year, in November, rumors suggested that Microsoft was working on Office for the iPad and the Mac App Store but no solid details surfaced during that time. On Wednesday, The Verge reported that a Microsoft product manager released comments to Czech site IHNED.cz [Google translation] that Microsoft is in fact working to bring Office to iPhone and iPad in March 2013. In its report, the publication noted a press release from the Microsoft’s Czech Republic team that confirms that Office for iOS will be arriving soon.

In addition to Windows, Office will be also available on other operating systems, Windows Phone, Windows RT, Mac OS, Android, iOS and Symbian,” says Microsoft, while separately noting that there will also be a new version of Office Web Apps too. […]

The press release also mentions that Office 2013 will be made available to businesses in December, with a consumer launch scheduled for the end of February 2013. “Office 365 services and other Office products for mobile (phones and tablets) will be released from March 2013,” says Microsoft.

Soon after the announcement, numerous people began to refute the claim, including Microsoft head of PR Frank X. Shaw who mentioned that the Czech statement was not credible.

The information shared by our Czech Republic subsidiary is not accurate. We have nothing further to share.

With all of the rumors popping up on the web since late last year, it is very likely that Office for iOS will be arriving in the March/April timeframe and Shaw is refuting the claims in order to contain the rumors about the arrival of the suite of software to the iOS platform.

{Via MacRumors}

On Tuesday, The Daily reported that Microsoft is ‘actively working’ on their Office Suite of products for the iPad and the Mac App Store. With this new approach, Microsoft would be drifting away from desktop computers, and competing with Apple’s iWork products, which currently includes Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

According to sources, the tech giant is actively working on adapting its popular software suite for Apple’s tablet. With the iPad making up over 80 percent of the tablet market and millions of people worldwide using Office, that could mean big bucks for the tech giant based in Redmond, Wash.

In addition to an iPad-ready version, a new edition of Office is expected for OS X Lion sometime next year. The current version of the desktop package, Office 2011, officially supports [Mac OS X] versions up to Snow Leopard. A Lion version, likely available via the Mac App Store, is widely expected.

When the iPad was first introduced, many users complained that the iPad does not contain any reliable word processing program and that the Pages application from Apple was only restricted to the iOS platform and very hard to transfer to other platforms. With Microsoft working on a solution for the iPad, the $499 device may actually become a viable option for a laptop replacement for users still dependent on MS Office.

For users who are holding back on purchasing an iPad because of the lack of Word, PowerPoint or Excel it may now become more appealing. Microsoft commented during the initial release of the iPad, suggesting that they were working on Office for the iPad, but after the device was introduced, Microsoft said that they had “no current plans” for the iPad.

The user interface is simple and easy to use. One thing I always look for is the ability to navigate through the application easily and with a nice flow. This app has all of the menu options at the bottom of the screen with access to the files in the central section of the app. The first option is to create a document, which consists of the following options: spreadsheet, document and text file.

The second option you’ll see is file transfers via WiFi. The app provides you with an IP address with a port number that you can access via a web browser. Accessing via the web browser allows you to see your folders and download files from them or to upload files. I was very impressed with the overall performance of this part of the app and also in how clean its appearance is. The three remaining options are the settings, help and information tabs. As you might expect, these options aren’t too exciting. The settings tab allows you to set a pass-lock, which is awesome for someone who has confidential documents.

The features of this app are extremely enticing.

• Create, Open & Edit Word documents
• Create, Open & Edit Excel spreadsheets
• Transfer desktop files via WiFi
• Remotely Access files from multiple cloud service providers
• Email & Access files directly via iPhone
• Mount your device as a drive via WiFi
• Advanced Notepad Editor

My favorite feature in ‘Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite’ [App Store] is the tie-ins to the cloud services as it seems that everything is going in that direction these days. I rely heavily on cloud storage services to be able to access my files anytime I need to. This application makes this much easier by allowing you to tie-in to services like Google Docs, Dropbox, Box.net, MobileMe and MobileMe Public. The app also allows you the share the file via WiFi and e-mail.

The options within this application allow you to do pretty much whatever you need to do with Word and Excel files. I find it to be extremely easy to operate and I recommend it to anyone who has to edit office files on the go, especially if you utilize cloud storage that is supported within the application.

Pros

• Ability to Access, View, Create and Share Microsoft Office Files
• Share Files via WiFi
• Cloud Storage Integration

Cons

• Would like to see support for Power Point

$9.99
Category: Business
Updated: Aug 23, 2010
Current Version: 3.3.0
3.3.0
Size: 13.7 MB
Languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
Seller: Quickoffice, Inc.
© Quickoffice, Inc.
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later

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