A new rumor suggests iPad and Android tablet users will be able to use a native, tablet-optimized version of Microsoft Office this fall. According to a source speaking to BGR, Microsoft will have a version of Office for both platforms ready in November.
A purported iPad version of Office was allegedly leaked in February, though Microsoft denied that what was published was "an actual Microsoft product." Despite this, the company wouldn't say whether it was in fact working on a version of Office for Apple's popular tablet or not.
BGR's source claimed to have seen Office running on an iPad, and confirmed that it looked "almost identical" to the previously leaked version. Additionally, Microsoft will reportedly release the software for Android-based tablets in the same November timeframe.
Microsoft would neither confirm nor deny the information in BGR's report. "We have nothing to share at this time as we do not comment on rumors or speculation," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars.
With the increasing uptake of tablets at home, work, and school, there has been a growing demand to use Microsoft's popular word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation applications on mobile devices. There are a number of apps that offer varying compatibility with existing Office documents, and a few solutions have popped up which allow running Office on virtualized Windows environments running on remote servers. Such solutions do work, but aren't optimized for tablet interfaces.
