Microsoft is yet to release its popular productivity suite for iOS, but it may already have lost a ton of money.
According to people close to the company, Microsoft is sitting on a full iPhone and iPad version of Office*but it is just waiting for the CEO to pull the trigger.
The delay could end up costing Microsoft billions in lost revenues. A new report by Reuters points towards a “growing contingent” of younger companies that are turning towards Office alternatives. The App Store is filled with third party applications that offer Office-like functionality for less, apart from the fact that they are immediately available for download, whereas no one knows for sure when Office for iOS is going to drop. Companies are seen to be increasingly taking towards these apps, which perform word processing and other cloud tasks.
An analyst at ValueAct Capital believes that Microsoft is losing out on $2.5 billion a year in revenue as long as Office for iPad isn’t being released. The iPad has sold over 200 million units since it was first launched and has become the tablet of choice for many businesses. Some analysts are even concerned that it might be too late for Microsoft to win back this “iPad generation,” that has already switched to other products. Even Apple’s own iWork suite gives other productivity applications a run for their money, plus it ties up everything in the cloud nicely for users who’re on Apple’s ecosystem, using Macs and iPhones alongside their iPads.
Top Office marketing executive John Case says that interest in Office on the iPad is extreme, and that when customers “want to do real work, they are going to want to use Office.” Fact is, customers have been doing just fine without Office on iPad and across iOS. There are many alternatives that have been tried and tested, and have already been adopted as the go-to productivity suites. Obviously Office for iOS is going to take some of those business customers back, but it would be a gross misconception to think that everyone would simply flock to Office whenever Microsoft releases it at its own convenience.
Source: Reuters
The delay could end up costing Microsoft billions in lost revenues. A new report by Reuters points towards a “growing contingent” of younger companies that are turning towards Office alternatives. The App Store is filled with third party applications that offer Office-like functionality for less, apart from the fact that they are immediately available for download, whereas no one knows for sure when Office for iOS is going to drop. Companies are seen to be increasingly taking towards these apps, which perform word processing and other cloud tasks.
An analyst at ValueAct Capital believes that Microsoft is losing out on $2.5 billion a year in revenue as long as Office for iPad isn’t being released. The iPad has sold over 200 million units since it was first launched and has become the tablet of choice for many businesses. Some analysts are even concerned that it might be too late for Microsoft to win back this “iPad generation,” that has already switched to other products. Even Apple’s own iWork suite gives other productivity applications a run for their money, plus it ties up everything in the cloud nicely for users who’re on Apple’s ecosystem, using Macs and iPhones alongside their iPads.
Top Office marketing executive John Case says that interest in Office on the iPad is extreme, and that when customers “want to do real work, they are going to want to use Office.” Fact is, customers have been doing just fine without Office on iPad and across iOS. There are many alternatives that have been tried and tested, and have already been adopted as the go-to productivity suites. Obviously Office for iOS is going to take some of those business customers back, but it would be a gross misconception to think that everyone would simply flock to Office whenever Microsoft releases it at its own convenience.
Source: Reuters
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