The Verge has a report today that says Microsoft Office is finally coming out for Android and iOS early next year. Like, for real this time. Check out this screenshot.
Apparently, it’s coming to iOS first in February or March, and it will be available for Android soon thereafter in May.
The Office software will reportedly require a Microsoft account and will launch with the ability to view documents. The ability to edit them is activated if you have an Office 365 account, which you can get as in-app purchases. There aren’t any details about specific functionality that will or won’t be in the apps, but the report makes it pretty clear that you will still obviously need the full desktop versions.
There are also no specifics on pricing (or if the read-only version will be free) and security. Security will have to be a strong selling point for Office, along with compatibility, with the Google Drive apps offering similar functionality for free, so we’ll see what that turns up.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard /”iOS Office is coming!” rumours, but this definitely seems more legitimate than previous go-rounds. And it’s still a big deal. A lot of people use Office! And a lot of people also use iOS and Android. And soon, early next year probably, those Venn diagrammed into these apps will be able to more effectively ignore and estrange themselves from their loved ones as their work-life balance is further deteriorated by mobile Word and PowerPoint aplenty. [The Verge]