Tuesday morning The Daily quoted unnamed sources which said Microsoft's Metro-themed Office app for the iPad would soon be submitted to Apple for approval. The news arrived after the iPad version was supposedly discovered back in November 2011, as The Daily claimed it spent some hands-on time with the prototype software running on Apple's popular tablet.
"The app’s user interface is similar to the current OneNote app, but it has hints of Metro, the new design language that can be seen in Windows Phone and in the as-yet-released Windows 8 desktop operating system," The Daily reported, seemingly describing Office 15 for WOA. "Word, Excel and PowerPoint files can be created and edited locally and online. But it’s unclear if Microsoft will support other Office apps at launch or at all."
Sources close to the matter said the design team has wrapped up the project, but so far an actual release date is unknown. The Daily assumed that "it could be released in the coming weeks" given that it's ready to be submitted to Apple's approval team, a statement heard within the halls of Microsoft, provoking a full-frontal denial.
"The Daily story is based on inaccurate rumors and speculation. We have no further comment," a Microsoft spokesperson said, neither confirming nor denying the app's actual existence. The rep also added that the screenshot accompanying the article, as seen above, is not a real picture of a Microsoft software product.
Selling Office 15 on Apple's iPad isn't all that far-fetched, as Microsoft would be reaching out to consumers who'd prefer the portable iOS environment while still having access to hugely popular Office apps like PowerPoint and Word. If anything, Office for Macintosh, which is highly profitable on that particular platform, proves this theory. Even more, the business sector, which relies heavily on Office apps, wouldn't be severely affected when adopting iPads, allowing workers to easily work between desktop and mobile.
If Microsoft is releasing an Office app for iPad, it's likely similar to the version slated for WOA, as both will be ARM-based. That said, Office for iPad probably won't appear until WOA actually launches later this year. Seriously, Microsoft providing a Metro-themed Office app on Apple's iPad first? That's just crazy talk, but we could be wrong.