Outlook for the iPhone?

eWeek is reporting that a Microsoft Executive, Stephen Elop, while speaking at the Web 2.0 Expo hinted that Microsoft will eventually release a version of the Office suite for mobile devices, specifically the iPhone.  I think this is important for a couple of reasons.  It further emphasizes MS’ current move away from desktop based toward web delivery of applications.  In the statement, Elop also eluded to an Ad supported web based version of the Office suite.  For a couple of years now Microsoft has said the the future of their software  is not the desktop but the web.  This move, along with the recent Office Live releases, are proof of that directive.  As an aside, I’ve been impressed with Office Live – it is a great collaboration tool, and is free – essentially you get sharepoint for nothing.  Very cool.

Back to the Office apps for iPhone – if this is a reality, it would be another rung up the ladder to getting more business away from Blackberry.  There are already apps on the Blackberry that let you edit Word and Excel docs; on the iPhone you can view documents, but not edit them.  There are apps on the way that will give users the ability to edit docs on the iPhone, specifically QuickOffice, but a release from Microsoft would likely trump any third party contenders.

As for the utility of native Office apps on a mobile device, that is another discussion entirely.  Personally, I think there is limited use for this – maybe editing a word doc for a word or three, or correcting a cell or two in a spreadsheet, but I can’t imagine trying to do any real work in Word or Excel on a mobile device.  That said, this “announcement”, if it becomes a reality, is good for Apple, and good for Microsoft.