Microsoft could be making few more billions if it releases Office for iPad, according to a Morgan Stanley analyst. The finance firm’s Adam Holt thinks that if priced at around $60, some 30% of iPad users would buy the software, generating up to $2.5 billion for the Redmond-based giant, even after Apple has taken its own cut.
The thinking must be to save the Office for Windows-based platforms and make that a unique selling point of tablets running Microsoft’s platform. That, apparently, is easier said than done, with Ballmer & Co. still struggling to excite enough buyers for their Surface tablet. Perhaps that will change this year, though as far as we can tell, for the time being – Apple will continue to dominate the tablet game.
Microsoft’s decision may change in the future as it realizes there’s money to be made across other platforms. Morgan Stanley’s Holt believes that “the company may ultimately decide there is more upside with Office on iPads, particularly if Win tablets fall short of expectations.” We’ll see how that goes…
[Via: MobileWorldLive]