Office for iPad reportedly coming before July

Microsoft is still working on Office for iPad, and it could debut before July, reports ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. While we’d heard that Microsoft was working on Office for iPhone and iPad some time ago, it ultimately only rolled out an iPhone version and pointed tablet users to Office Web Apps. However, ZDNet now reports that development on Office for iPad has both continued and been sped up in order to bring it to market fairly soon.

The new timeline on Office for iPad reportedly may have it released even before Microsoft ships its first version of a touch-centric Office for Windows 8, reports ZDNet. It sounds as though Microsoft was hesitant to approve Office for iPad ahead of a touch-based Office for Windows 8 — a glaring absence and a highly desired option — but executives apparently changed their mind late last year.

There’s no word on what Office for iPad will be like, but if Office for iPhone is any sign, it may be fairly basic. On the iPhone, Office requires an Office 365 subscription to do anything at all, and not all of its apps can be considered fully featured. A presence on the iPad would be hugely important for Microsoft and the vast number of Office users out there nonetheless, and it appears Microsoft is starting to see that that demand isn’t something it should wait to fill.