Awaiting Microsoft’s Office for iOS and Android? Wait Until 2014!

Over the past one year or so, we all have been ears to numerous speculations about Microsoft Office making ‘the big launch’ on Android and iOS platforms. And if you are one of those avid Office suite users, you must be keeping pace all this while with any updates relating this news. Why not? After all, aplenty users are hungry to have a bite of the accessible and workable mobile version of Microsoft’s Word processor. But it seems that it will take Microsoft another year to serve your appetite.

According to a recent report, the iOS and Android versions of Microsoft Office, may not surface until the fall of 2014. According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, who’s got a chance to sneak peek into the actual roadmap devised by Microsoft, Outlook for Windows RT as well as Office for iOS and Android will surface in the mobile marketplace during the fall of 2014. This happens to be a year and a half away, by the way, farther away from what anyone could expect or hope. As noted by Mary, this roadmap which is codenamed as ‘Gemini’ indicates the following:

Gemini Wave 1.0, Scheduled for October 2013: In this phase, Windows Blue App will get updated

Gemini Wave 1.5, Scheduled for April 2014: Windows phone support refresh, Office RT refresh, Office for Mac and Perceptive Pixel support

Gemini Wave 2.0, Scheduled for October 2014: Release of Office for iOS and Android, Outlook RT scheduled

Windows official refrained from commenting on this roadmap, but Mary’s sources reveal that this roadmap was devised as recently as the beginning of 2013.

Amidst all this, it is essential to make a mention of one thing- very recently, i.e. in last October, a Czech subsidiary of Microsoft made an alleged promise that the launch of Office for iOS and Android devices will take place in 2013. However, Microsoft backed off from this promise. In an official statement the company accepted that the information shared by its representative in Czech Republic wasn’t accurate. It also refrained from making any further comments on the matter.

Disappointed? Don’t Be!

The news isn’t that good after all. It might have caused a wave of worry and disappointment amongst users and Android and iOS developers alike. But according to Ms. Foley, there isn’t any point in giving up on hope so soon. After all, release calendars and roadmaps are extremely flexible and subject to change. She notes that even after shipping targets in roadmaps, things can change and do change quite often.

Let’s hope that being hopeful helps and the iOS and Android versions of the Office Suite are released soon. After all, a year and a half is a long way to go!