"If the Windows team needs Office exclusivity to compete then Microsoft is in trouble. "
@azzlsoft :you've basically nailed the center argument which keeps Microsoft, at this moment, stuck on neutral.
On one side, they have the Windows crowd which used to be the cash cow. They were a hit, until they messed up with Vista. After much scolding, they released Windows 7, to much--internal, I might add--praise.
On the other side, there's the Office team, which seemed to have received a scolding of sorts when they released Office 2007, and they too corrected in Office 2010, with a much more solid product.
Today, both teams attempt to move forward.
The problem's Windows 8 is fraught with problems. It must be compatible with Vista/7. It should be touch friendly. It should run on Tablet. It should run on ARM. It should have an App Store. And it should keep XP compatibility (somehow). Else it could become Windows CE 2 (good OO work, incompatible with everything else) or worse yet Windows Vista 2 (innovative UI, incompatible with everything else).
Office, on the other hand, has done its homework. Office 2010 has big icons, ready for touch. XML file formats ready for mobile, and integration with Facebook and Hotmail. What's lacking? A proper OS to exploit all of these. If they wait for Windows 8, they're screwed. If they switch to Vista/7, they will only target 20 or so percent of the crowd (same mistake of IE9). If they target iPad... well... they will p***s the windows crowd.
Touch dilemma, ain't it.
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