Will Microsoft Make a Huge iPad Announcement Tomorrow?

A new post on ZDNet reports that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is expected to make a big announcement regarding the company’s software on iPad at 10 a.m. Pacific tomorrow. Conventional wisdom points to the debut of the long-awaited touch-optimized version of Microsoft Office for the iPad, which we’ve heard has been in development for quite a while already. However, the post also claims that Nadella will make an additional announcement regarding software for the iPad that might not have been quite as expected.

So what is that announcement? According to anonymous sources, Microsoft will unveil the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite, or EMS, geared specifically towards “large enterprise customers who need to manage centrally iPads, iPhones, Android devices, Windows devices and more.”

In short, EMS would give businesses and organizations a greater amount of options and control when it comes to managing many devices that rely on Microsoft services. Bundling in such an announcement with an announcement of touch-enabled Office Suite makes a ton of sense, mainly because Office is by far one of the most widely known Microsoft services out there. This way, Nadella can explain without much technical jargon or lingo that EMS will give organizations the power to manage users’ access to a new version of Office with no muss or fuss.

But while the revelation of EMS is interesting, it wouldn’t be surprising if simply the reveal of a new version of Office gets the majority of the attention during tomorrow’s announcement. From a personal standpoint, I’m very interested to hear what Microsoft has to say on the subject of tablet-optimized Office, since I’m about to re-embark on the path of the English teacher. The school I’ll be working for has fully integrated the use of iPads in the classroom, so I’ve spent the last week or so getting to know the tablet and the iOS operating system. Because I’ll be teaching composition, being able to create and edit documents on the iPad is a pretty high priority.

For now, I’ll be recommending Quickoffice, made by Google for Android and iOS devices, though it seems my school has had some good luck with CloudOn. But if Microsoft manages to announce a functional version of Office for iPad that won’t break the bank, that could solve everyone’s problems. And, if I’m understanding the premise behind EMS, it’s entirely possible that the school could just distribute access to a subscription to Office for iPad.

We’ll have to check in with the Microsoft News Center tomorrow at 10 a.m. Pacific to see what the company has to offer.

[Source: ZDNet]