Microsoft has confirmed it will be releasing a version of Outlook for Windows RT tablets later this year, during its Computex Keynote address. At the same time, Microsoft advised that the new wave of tablets with screens measuring under 10 inches will be shipping with Office Home and Student 2013 preinstalled.
Windows head Tami Reller advised on stage that "small screen tablets" would get Office as an added extra, with the Windows Blog clarifying further that this would be for small screen x86 tablets, namely those running Windows 8 or the upcoming Windows 8.1. This has already been shown in the Acer Iconia W3 launched earlier this week, though it was not revealed that the inclusion of Office was part of this initiative.
The Outlook app will be added to Windows RT tablets via the Windows 8.1 update due later this year, and joins existing office apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote on the platform. The addition of Outlook may make Windows RT more attractive to corporate customers, and in turn providing them an alternative to buying a tablet running full Windows 8.