Microsoft Gets Cozy With The iPhone

[Stephen!]

http://www.dailytech.com/Microsoft+G...ticle11254.htm

Microsoft may look to launch an Office suite on iPhone

Microsoft and Apple may be rivals, but that doesn't stop Microsoft from being very excited about developing possible applications for the iPhone, according to recent reports.

Soon after the release of Apple's third party software developer kit (SDK) for the iPhone, Microsoft set an entire team of engineers to work analyzing it. Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Specialized Devices and Applications Group, states, "It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone. To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we’re actually in the process of trying to understand that now."

The move is not an entirely new one either. Microsoft has long maintained a group of engineers tasked with porting Microsoft software to Apple's operating systems. Microsoft's Mac Business Unit is based in Mountain View, Calif., cozily close to Apple's headquarters, which is just miles away. The Mac Business Unit has been extremely successful in marketing the Microsoft Office Suite to Mac users. Though Microsoft refuses to release figures on the unit, one of its most lucrative, Fortune magazine estimates that it did around $350M USD in business last year, and may have made as much as $200M USD in profit.

Microsoft has taken a strange sense of pride in being the best Apple developer other than Apple. Microsoft's extensive experience with OS X and its inside knowledge of the Microsoft Exchange protocols the iPhone is adopting for business email means that Microsoft should be primed to deliver some powerful iPhone applications.

Gibbons states, "We do have experience with that environment, and that gives us confidence to be able to do something. The key question is, what is the value that we need to bring? We’re still getting comfortable with the SDK, right? It’s just come out. So we had a guess as to what feasibility would be like, now we’ll really get our head wrapped around that."

Microsoft's voice recognition unit TellMe, a recent acquisition, is also eyeing the iPhone. TellMe's primary focus is in developing for the Windows Mobile operating system. While the situation may be slightly ironic, it is pure business and general manager Mike McCue says that as long as the iPhone SDK supports voice recording and location based technology, TellMe will be all over it. McCue states, "If the SDK supports these things we’re absolutely going to get a version out there as soon as we can, get TellMe out there on the iPhone."

In June, Apple will release an update which will allow third-party SDK-based software. Until then Microsoft will be busy coding, coming up with new products for the iPhone. Business certainly makes strange bedfellows.

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by Stephen!

http://www.dailytech.com/Microsoft+G...ticle11254.htm

Microsoft may look to launch an Office suite on iPhone

Microsoft and Apple may be rivals, but that doesn't stop Microsoft from being very excited about developing possible applications for the iPhone, according to recent reports.

Soon after the release of Apple's third party software developer kit (SDK) for the iPhone, Microsoft set an entire team of engineers to work analyzing it. Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Specialized Devices and Applications Group, states, "It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone. To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we’re actually in the process of trying to understand that now."

The move is not an entirely new one either. Microsoft has long maintained a group of engineers tasked with porting Microsoft software to Apple's operating systems. Microsoft's Mac Business Unit is based in Mountain View, Calif., cozily close to Apple's headquarters, which is just miles away. The Mac Business Unit has been extremely successful in marketing the Microsoft Office Suite to Mac users. Though Microsoft refuses to release figures on the unit, one of its most lucrative, Fortune magazine estimates that it did around $350M USD in business last year, and may have made as much as $200M USD in profit.

Microsoft has taken a strange sense of pride in being the best Apple developer other than Apple. Microsoft's extensive experience with OS X and its inside knowledge of the Microsoft Exchange protocols the iPhone is adopting for business email means that Microsoft should be primed to deliver some powerful iPhone applications.

Gibbons states, "We do have experience with that environment, and that gives us confidence to be able to do something. The key question is, what is the value that we need to bring? We’re still getting comfortable with the SDK, right? It’s just come out. So we had a guess as to what feasibility would be like, now we’ll really get our head wrapped around that."

Microsoft's voice recognition unit TellMe, a recent acquisition, is also eyeing the iPhone. TellMe's primary focus is in developing for the Windows Mobile operating system. While the situation may be slightly ironic, it is pure business and general manager Mike McCue says that as long as the iPhone SDK supports voice recording and location based technology, TellMe will be all over it. McCue states, "If the SDK supports these things we’re absolutely going to get a version out there as soon as we can, get TellMe out there on the iPhone."

In June, Apple will release an update which will allow third-party SDK-based software. Until then Microsoft will be busy coding, coming up with new products for the iPhone. Business certainly makes strange bedfellows.

I'm going to buy an iPhone once theyre 3G and they make them a little better.

[Stephen!]

Next, we'll probably see Microsoft developing stuff for Google's Android ......

[Persona]

Microsoft never ceases to amaze me.

I use MS Office 2004 for Mac, and it amazes me how much BETTER it is than Office for Windows. It's just a better program, granted...it was developed later. Except for some poor integration things, I actually enjoy using MS Office on Mac, even moreso than Apple's office software. Go figure.


I'd like to see that, actually.

[Justin..]

I really like the idea of this to make the iPhone more universal with other phones. I am still waiting on 3G.

Originally Posted by lukannon

Microsoft never ceases to amaze me.

I use MS Office 2004 for Mac, and it amazes me how much BETTER it is than Office for Windows. It's just a better program, granted...it was developed later. Except for some poor integration things, I actually enjoy using MS Office on Mac, even moreso than Apple's office software. Go figure.


I'd like to see that, actually.

I really like office for mac 04. Then I used iWork 08 and it is so much better than all of the office crap. It even exports in different formats

I will try Office for mac 08 and see if it is as good but right now everyone says it's not good mainly due to all the crashing. I believe microsoft has only released one update for it.

[Stephen!]

It's weird how Microsoft can port Office to Mac, yet they can't manage to provide a half decent version of Messenger without some of the features missing such as Webcam support.

[Jorge]

I'm actually going to upgrade to Office 2008 today. We'll see how that goes.

I don't know why, since I mostly use iWork...

[Stephen!]

I haven't used it in years. The only version I ever owned was Office 95

[Pvt. Collins]

i have office 2007 on my vista laptop. basically the same thing as office 08 on MAC. i also use open office. which is pretty handy i have to say.

[It's Been Fun!]

Originally Posted by Stephen!

Next, we'll probably see Microsoft developing stuff for Google's Android ......

That will happen around the same time they release Microsoft Office for Linux. Loooooong time.

[Jorge]

Oh, but Microsoft hates Linux. According to their CEO Ballmer (aka. monkey dance boy), Linux is communist and a cancer!

[Stephen!]

Originally Posted by Jorge

Oh, but Microsoft hates Linux. According to their CEO Ballmer (aka. monkey dance boy), Linux is communist and a cancer!

So, by getting into a partnership with Novell, the cancer has infected Microsoft