There had been plenty of speculation last month regarding Microsoft’s plans to introduce Microsoft Office to iOS (and Android). Apple’s bestselling iPads in particular were said to be targeted for the sheer volume of users who owned them, and the endless growth prospects. In comparison, in the already mature PC market, there was little scope for the Redmond giant to give a fillip to its revenues. This meant that Microsoft had to enter the erstwhile uncharted territory of iOS for its high margin Office line of software.

A leaked image of Microsoft Office for the Apple iPad, via The Daily

Now, The Daily reports that the development team for Office Mobile was done with the work needed for its project last month.The Office app is currently in the hands of the usability division of Microsoft, that helps it to assess the shortcomings of apps designed using the Metro UI design language. This team will confirm whether the app works perfectly in a Metro environment, in order to be consiered ‘Metro Compliant’. If there’s anything left to be desired in the use of an app, the usability division will send the app back to the development team to rectify its issues.

After being done with its internal verification mechanisms, Microsoft will send the completed Office app to Apple for getting approved to the iTunes App Store. The store approval could take up to a fortnight, beyond which the Office app should see the light of the day. All this means that the Office mobile app may have some way to go before it gets released to the public, and the expected date for latter is said to be November 10.

via