MS Office for Mac to get SkyDrive update, no 2013 edition
updated 08:23 am EDT, Wed July 18, 2012
MS to offer Mac users software update for Office for Mac 2011
In the aftermath of Microsoft's big Office 15 announcement this week it has emerged that there will be no new version of Office for Mac 2013 edition. The Next Web has received confirmation from Microsoft that instead, users of Office for Mac 2011 can expect a software update around the same time that the new version of Office 2013 launches. The update will bring tighter integration with SkyDrive and Office 365 enabling Mac users to access their documents from the cloud.
The official statement from Microsoft reads:
When the new Office launches, we'll deliver an update for Office for Mac 2011. With this update, Office for Mac licenses can count as part of your Office 365 Home Premium subscription. You will 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.
Historically, Microsoft has usually followed its new Office for Windows releases with a Mac variant anywhere up to twelve or more months later. Now that the company also has to develop a separate version that will also function as the standard PC version for Windows RT ARM-based devices, it is likely that is resources will be focused strongly on Windows versions for the time being.
Although evidence has emerged that Microsoft has been developing a version of Office for the iPad, the company did not make any announcements about support for the iPad at its launch event. When a purported screenshot of Office for iPad surfaced, Microsoft quickly moved to denounce it as a fake. Given that Office remains a trump card for Microsoft, it is far from likely that an iPad version might in the near future as it will offer a very useful point of differentiation between the iPad and Microsoft's Surface tablets.
