Microsoft released its long-awaited, and much rumored, Office for iPad on March 27th, marking the first big press event of Satya Nadella’s reign. While some accused Steve Ballmer of blocking this release, it was clear the suite had been in the works before the old CEO stepped down.
Today, Apple held its earnings call, and in on the conference was Tim Cook. Those listening in had the opportunity to ask the Apple leader questions, one of which was about the Office release for the iPad. While Cook is happy to have this major product on its tablets, he also took the opportunity of expressing his feeling that it should have happened sooner. “I believe if it would have been done earlier, it would have been better for Microsoft, frankly.”
“I do see that Office is a very key franchise in the enterprise,” Cook adds. “I wholeheartedly welcome Microsoft to the App Store.”
While Cook is likely right, he should be grateful that Microsoft made this move in the first place. Feelings between the two companies are often tense, but in the long run, profit wins out. This will unlikely deter future integration efforts, and Cook certainly wasn’t negative, so there is no reason for friction.
