Microsoft Creates Free Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad Office App, Editing Needs Subscription

A latest iteration of Microsoft Office (NASDAQ:MSFT) made for Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone and iPad is now predicted to come on the iOS App Store in the start of 2013, giving away free document viewing, while a subscription would be required for editing.

Details on the speculated software were disclosed on Wednesday by The Verge, which also got screenshots of the software and other facts from different sources near to Microsoft’s plans.

The Office Mobileapp would be a free option accessible on the iOS App Store that would need a Microsoft Office account.

Contained in Office Mobile would be Word, PowerPoint and Excel support, while those with an Office 365 subscription would be capable of editing documents. Office Mobile is also predicted to come to Google’s Android platform, though it would start on Apple’s iOS initially.

Those who do not buy an Office 365 subscription would still be able to enjoy the free Office Mobile application for iPhone and iPad for basic observing of documents.

Previous month, a Microsoft product manager in the Czech Republic showed that the latest version of Office for iOS could arrive in the start of March of 2013. A representative for Microsoft refused to give a date, only stating that its Office suite would work through Windows Phone, iOS and Android.

AppleInsider also described in the start of this year that Microsoft (MSFT) was operating on a new native iOS application for Outlook Web App, named OWA Mobile Client for iOS that would offer compatibility with Exchange 2012 mailboxes.

It, accompanied by a latest version of the Lync application for iOS, would supposedly feature Microsoft’s Metro interface, just like Office for iPad is predicted to do.