Office for iOS and Android reportedly confirmed by Microsoft product manager, due March 2013
Microsoft product manager Petr Bobek has confirmed that the software maker is planning to release native iOS and Android versions of Office 2013 next year. Speaking at a press event …
Context & Ripple Effects
A July report had pointed to a public Office 2013 reveal; this reported mobile timetable ties that product cycle to iOS and Android rather than Windows alone. It also follows Microsoft's confirmed statement that it is moving toward a devices-and-services business model.
The account is widely syndicated, but the March timing and native-app plan remain reported rather than independently confirmed. The significance is Microsoft treating Office distribution across rival mobile platforms as part of the same product strategy.
First-order effects
- Microsoft's reported roadmap would put native iOS and Android versions of Office 2013 on its planned March 2013 release schedule.
- iOS and Android users would gain a planned native route to Microsoft's Office suite, extending the product beyond Microsoft's own device ecosystem.
Second-order effects
- Apple's iOS and Google's Android would become distribution venues for a core Microsoft productivity product, increasing the importance of platform access to Microsoft's Office strategy.
- Microsoft would need to support Office across multiple mobile operating systems, making product delivery and service continuity more central to the Office release cycle.
Third-order effects
- If carried out, the plan would make Office less dependent on Windows device sales and more consistent with Microsoft's stated devices-and-services direction.
- The move points toward major software vendors competing for users across rival device platforms, with application reach becoming separate from control of the underlying operating system.
The trend: Microsoft is positioning its flagship software as a cross-platform service, reducing the link between Office adoption and ownership of a Microsoft device.