• The Daily, Wednesday, November 30, 2011 12:02 PM

The iPad’s extraordinary success is forcing Microsoft to refocus, and, once again, bow at the altar of Apple. Citing sources, The Daily reports that the software maker is planning a version of its Office business app for the iPad. “With the iPad making up over 80 percent of the tablet market and millions of people worldwide using Office, that could mean big bucks for the tech giant,” The Daily writes.

Microsoft has already made Office compatible with various Apple machines, while, more recently, launched a slew of apps for the iPad, including Bing, MSN Onit and MSN OnPoint. “There are even more available for iPhone, including Microsoft Tag, Windows Live Messenger and Wonderwall,” notes The Daily. Still, having to increasingly rely on Apple to reach consumers must be hard for Microsoft to swallow -- particularly because it has so far failed to mount a successful mobile or tablet strategy of its own.

Office, of course, remains one Microsoft’s biggest sellers, second only to Windows, as The Daily reminds us. In 2011, the software suite is expected to earn over $15 billion in revenue, according to Business Insider. Adds The Daily: “By branching out to new platforms -- like the iPad -- that number should only grow."

Read the whole story at The Daily »