Report: Microsoft to Unveil Office for iPad Next Week

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Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani

By Pete Pachal2014-03-18 15:05:25 UTC

Microsoft will host a press event next week to unveil a version of Office for iPad, according to a new report. The event will also mark the first time new CEO Satya Nadella speaks publicly to the press.

The Verge reports Microsoft is sending invitations to some members of the press for an event in San Francisco on March 27. Nadella himself will introduce of Office for iPad, according to The Verge's sources.

See also: The 25 Best Free iPad Apps

Office for iPad will reportedly closely resemble Office for iPhone, which debuted last year. Office subscribers can add up to five mobile devices to their subscriptions (Windows Phone and Windows RT devices get in free), and presumably the iPad version would count against one of those. The iPad version will let users create and edit documents in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, the report states.

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer once publicly said Office for iPad was in the works, and that it would likely be released after a version of the software suite that runs in the Windows Modern (aka Metro) environment. Since there is no indication that a Modern version of Office is imminent, it appears those plans have been adjusted.

Releasing Office for iPad fits perfectly with Nadella's stated strategy of prioritizing cloud services, particularly on mobile devices. Microsoft has been opening up its apps and services to multiple platforms over the past couple of years, most recently releasing OneNote for Mac on Monday. The launch of Office for iPad represents a culmination of such a "platform agnostic" strategy.

More announcements are expected at the company's Build developer conference, scheduled to begin April 1. The biggest news from that event is expected to be the release of the first major update to Windows 8.1.

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Topics: Apps and Software, iPad, Microsoft, Mobile, office, Office 365, Office for iPad, Satya Nadella, Tech