While Microsoft unveiled their new Office 13 for Windows earlier this week, the company was strangely silent about updates to Office for Mac, as well as making Office available on the iPad. TheNextWeb reached out to Microsoft for answers.
As it turns out, Microsoft doesn’t have any immediate plans to release Office 2013 for the Mac or Office for iPad. However, in a statement released to TNW, Microsoft reveals that they will be offering a major update to Office for Mac 2011 in the near future:
When the new Office launches, we’ll deliver an update to Office for Mac 2011. With this update, Office for Mac licenses can count as part of your Office 365 Home Premium subscription. You will also be able to use SkyDrive and/or Office 365 to save and access all your documents from your Mac. Note that we’ve not announced any branding for future versions of Office for Mac.
Meanwhile, Macworld points out that, while nothing has been stated about Office for iPad, Microsoft’s Office 365 subscription will enable users to access and edit Office documents on the cloud using web apps – and those apps will also work with the iPhone and iPad, as well as Android devices and Windows Mobile devices. Office for Mac licenses can also count towards the cost of an Office 365 Home Premium subscription.
While Microsoft may be working on an all-new version of Office for the Mac or dedicated apps for the iPad (as rumored), their strategy of delivering an update to Mac Office 2011, as well as cloud access to documents, seems to be a solid move in the meantime.
