Six weeks ago, Microsoft announced that finally created and released a version of the Office Business suite for the iPad. This is something that users of the device have been clamoring for since the tablet was released in 2010. While Apple has been pushing the device as the perfect tool for a new age of business, it has always felt slightly incomplete without Office standards like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, even if there have been alternatives available.
When it was released, the individual apps for the core three programs shot to the top of Apple App Store's "free" and "grossing" lists. After a week it had been downloaded 12 million times.
This week, during a keynote address for Microsoft's TechEd North American 2014 convention, general manager for Office Julia White spoke about the success that the company has experienced. Since launch, the apps have been downloaded 27 million times.
"While the download number is impressive, it must be bittersweet for Microsoft because it speaks to the popularity of the iPad," a ZDNet article about the keynote said. "It remains to be seen if the Office for iPad download numbers will level out after the initial hype dies down and the pent-up demand is satisfied, but I'm pretty sure that Microsoft will enjoy another few months of growth."
Office for iPad is something the businesses and consumers have been asking for since 2010. By creating program, many businesses users are going to start jumping on the bandwagon and IT departments could find themselves forced to handle Apple support whether they want to or not.
