Microsoft will release Office for iPad after its Windows 8.1 debut

For those of you wondering when Microsoft will bring Office to touch-based devices, here’s some good news. Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer has told the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo that the company was in the midst of developing a “touch-first” version of Office.

According to The Verge, Ballmer has confirmed that a touch-first version of Office will be making its way to the iPad shortly after releasing on Windows 8.1. “iPad will be picked up when… there’s a touch first user interface,” Ballmer said. No surprises here, Microsoft wants to concentrate on its own platforms before making Office available for iOS.

Coming soon?

While there is no concrete roadmap revealed by Microsoft, Ballmer has noted that the touch-first interface is “in-progress” currently. Earlier in September, Ballmer, in an appearance at Microsoft’s financial analyst day had said, “We don’t have our heads in the sand. We are working away on all the things you think we should be working away on.” Needless to say, Microsoft has big plans for Office and a touch-first interface seems to be ranking high on the company’s list of priorities.

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Microsoft had released Office for iPhone and Android phones earlier this year that allows simple editing. Not surprisingly, Microsoft had chosen to give the cold shoulder to tablet devices with users having to resort to accessing Office using web apps on browsers. However, a touch-release does seem to be on Microsoft’s mind and we could soon be seeing a touch-based Office for both iPad and Windows 8.1.