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Microsoft to launch Office for iOS, Android next year -- report

The company will supposedly make the platform available in March 2013, according to a Czech Web report.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
2 min read

Office apps running natively on iOS and Android will finally launch early next year, according to a Czech Web report.

Microsoft product manager Petr Bobek said at a press event in the Czech Republic that native Office apps for iOS and Android will be available in March 2013. Czech site IHNED was first to report on the news.

The Verge also reported today that it had seen a press release sent out from Microsoft's Czech Republic office confirming that Office would be coming to Android, iOS, and Symbian. That press release claims a consumer launch of the new Office supporting the mobile platforms will happen in February.

In a statement to CNET today, Microsoft said that "Office Mobile will work across Windows Phones, Android phones and iOS, and we have nothing additional to announce today about retail availability of the new Office." On the company's Office Mobile site, it claims that only OneNote and Lync will be supported in iOS and Android.

While the Microsoft spokesperson wouldn't comment on The Verge's report, it's possible that the claims referred to only those applications, and not the traditional Office suite featuring Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

Rumors have suggested for months that Microsoft is working on native applications that can run on Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms. Back in May, a report surfaced saying that Microsoft would deliver Office apps to the iPad and Android tablets in November.

Mobile users currently have a host of productivity suites available that allow them to edit and create documents. Such tools, like iWork from Apple, work with Microsoft's file formats.