Microsoft’s mobile Office strategy takes shape on iPhone and iPad

A low-key start on iPhone

When Microsoft first put Office on the iPhone in 2013 the move was surprisingly quiet. The company slipped the news out via a blog post rather than staging a major launch, despite the strategic importance of getting Office onto iOS.

The naming didn’t help. Officially called Office Mobile for Office 365 subscribers, it continued Microsoft’s clumsy branding tradition. The app itself was basic. It required an Office 365 subscription, a PC or Mac installation and SkyDrive storage. To complicate matters, Apple collected a 30 percent cut of in-app subscriptions through its usual App Store policy.

Most curious of all, Microsoft chose to leave the iPad out of the picture. That was puzzling given the device’s popularity with professionals and the opportunity to hook users before they discovered alternatives.

iPad Office changes expectations

Things shifted in 2014 with the release of Word for iPad. It was a different story: the app was fully featured, credible. In many ways it was an eye-opener.

Until then, my go-to mobile writing tools were iA Writer and Apple’s Pages. Both worked well, with smooth iCloud integration between Mac and iPad. They outclassed Word on mobile. But once Microsoft delivered a capable iPad version, Word became harder to ignore.

For journalists and others tied to Word, the iPad version meant fewer compromises. Editors expect copy in Word format and dealing with incoming documents is easier if you stay in the same ecosystem. Conversion from other tools risks formatting glitches.

Why Word still matters

Outside Apple’s walled garden, sticking with Word makes even more sense. Google Docs offered the main alternative, excelling at real-time collaboration and broad device support. For a while it looked as if Google was pulling ahead in mobile, connected editing while Microsoft was stuck in an old, desktop-centric model.

The iPad release showed Microsoft could still adapt. It signalled that Office would remain central to mobile productivity, not just a legacy desktop suite.

If you're interested in mobile productivity apps, I've written a comprehensive guide to iPad word processors, editors and writing tools.