Morgan Stanley analyst: Microsoft losing billions by not bringing Office to iPad

An image purported to be of Office running on an iPad leaked last year.

Last year it was rumored that Microsoft's?been working on a version of Office for the iPad, but according to a new report it's losing out on bllions each year the product isn't on the market.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Holt claims that Microsoft is losing out on about $2.5 billion in revenue per year by not bringing the popular productivity suite. That's what he told Fortune, noting that if 1 million Surface with Windows RT tablets were sold then the company is a long ways from reaching much of the mobile market.

If Microsoft is able to reach a similar attach rate on the iPad that it has on Mac computers - about 30 percent - then it's capable of reaching that figure, Holt said. That's assuming the suite sells for $60 and Apple takes a 30 percent cut of the sales.

Office currently comes bundled with Windows RT tablets, though users with Windows 8 tablets, such as those with a Surface Pro, have to purchase a copy separately.

At an October event in the Czech Republic, Microsoft's Peter Bobek claimed Office would be coming to iOS and Android devices this March. Microsoft later released a statement neither confirming nor denying the plans.

In November, information leaked that an iPad app may launch in March followed by an Android app in May. According to that leak, the apps would only be able to view Office files unless used with an Office 365 subscription, which would also allow users to edit files.

Source: Fortune?| Image via The Daily

Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/morgan-stanley-analyst-microsoft-losing-billions-by-not-bringing-office-to-ipad

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