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http://www.macnn.com/articles/09/04/02/office.coming.to.iphone/

Microsoft Office en route to iPhone?

updated 03:25 pm EDT, Thu April 2, 2009

 

Office coming to iPhone?


Some form of Office may indeed be headed to the iPhone, Microsoft's Business Division president has suggested. Stephen Elop made comments to the effect at this week's Web 2.0 Expo, cautioning that while people should "keep watching," nothing is on track for a near-future release. Microsoft has hinted at some form of Office support for the iPhone for over a year.

The addition of Office to the iPhone could substantially improve the appeal of the device for business buyers, offering the ability to browse and edit frequently-used document formats. An app or series of apps could simultaneously undermine Windows Mobile however, which has long held the inclusion of Office has an inherent advantage over other smartphone platforms. Apple has already lured in some business clients by introducing Microsoft Exchange support through the iPhone 2.0 firmware.

Elop meanwhile notes that Microsoft intends to launch an online, ad-supported version of Office, but not before the end of 2009.


by MacNN Staff

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 iPhone, software, enterprise, Microsoft, Office

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  1. Mimi-mim

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2007

    +1
    04/02, 04:23pm | report spam | (1 reply) Reply |

    I'd be impressed

    Twenty years of Microsoft code bloat squeezed down onto a tiny iPhone? I doubt it. But maybe if Apple releases a tablet or netbook machine.

  1. lamewing

    Dedicated MacNNer

    Joined: Aug 2004

    -2
    04/02, 04:34pm | report spam | Reply |

    get over it

    It is the standard in business and education. There is no reason the iPhone couldn't open such documents. It doesn't have to be a full version of the program.

  1. lamewing

    Dedicated MacNNer

    Joined: Aug 2004

    -8
    04/02, 04:34pm | report spam | Reply |

    get over it

    It is the standard in business and education. There is no reason the iPhone couldn't open such documents. It doesn't have to be a full version of the program.

  1. Inkling

    Junior Member

    Joined: Jul 2006

    +3
    04/02, 04:50pm | report spam | Reply |

    Great if done right

    This will be a marvelous if done right and by done right I mean:

    1. The ability to autosynch with a Mac or Windows PC. Trying to remember which gadget has the latest version of a document is a pain.

    2. The ability to edit files that have more formatting contained in them than anyone using an iPhone is going to want to deal with. It should be possible to edit the text of a complex document on an iPhone and have that complexity reappear back on a Mac or Windows PC.

    3. A synch-and-print ability. It should be possible to tag a file on an iPhone for printing and have it print the next time that iPhone synchs with a PC. No need to remember which document is ready to print and which needs more work.

    Do that, and Office on all platforms will have a major advantage over the freebie clones.



  1. elroth

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2006

    +4
    04/02, 04:51pm | report spam | Reply |

    office with ads

    Wow - an online ad-supported version of Office: as you're getting mad trying to figure out how to get Office to let you format documents the way you want without automatically changing layout and typefaces, you can watch and listen to annoying ads. What a fun time!

  1. jarod

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2005

    0
    04/02, 06:02pm | report spam | Reply |

    When pigs fly!

    Or if MS is still around LOLLLLLL!!

  1. jpellino

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 1999

    +2
    04/02, 09:12pm | report spam | Reply |

    I dunno...

    I've got Word (20MB) and Excel (15MB) 2004 running in a 178MB folder. Sounds reasonable to get them stripped down even further and running on an iPhone / iPT. Not sure why I'd want to try and work either app in a screen that small. And running any sort of meaningful Entourage interface in that screen would be even worse. Of course if they split up the Entourage functions then they're right up against the mail/cal/address apps already in the device. But since MS's job seems to be shoe-horning any available code into every possible device... God bless'em.

  1. mmurray

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Sep 2000

    -1
    04/02, 09:28pm | report spam | Reply |

    DataViz Docs2Go

    It's called Docs2Go by DataViz. Meant to be out this summer.

    Michael

  1. gikku

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2006

    +4
    04/02, 10:39pm | report spam | Reply |

    iWork

    where's iWork for iPhone ?

  1. ZinkDifferent

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2005

    -1
    04/03, 12:51am | report spam | Reply |

    Ha!

    Apple's already got that covered. Poor MS, not even getting a 'best effort' out of this.

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