While Microsoft has been talking up its new Office 2013 for Windows, one thing it hasn’t been talking about is when we might see a new version of Office for Mac. Microsoft has confirmed that it has no version of Office 2013 in development for Mac and has no details of when the next version of Office will be released.
Microsoft did, however, add that they plan to update Office for Mac 2011 with a Service Pack that will be include the additional features of support for SkyDrive and Office 365. It has yet to be determined when this will arrive and what else this Service Pack might include.
The news isn’t surprising in the fact that Microsoft has always given priority to the Windows version of Office on the Windows platform, but with the growth of the Mac platform and the much larger sales for Mac Office 2011 because of the addition of Outlook for Mac, the news no plans for a new version is disappointing and a bit puzzling. (Sources tell us to expect Office for Mac 2015 as the next version we will see on the OS X platform.)
In addition, the rumored version of Office for the iPad appears to be on hold for at least the time being, with priority being given to the Windows tablet market and the version of Office that is targeted for that tablet market. Microsoft has stopped short of admitting that they have a version for the iPad in development or plan to release one, but sources continue to say that Microsoft will release an Office for iPad at some point. Microsoft as usual offered no comment.