iPad 3: One more thing

Only two more days until Apple is expected to unveil the next iPad, and there are as many predictions of what the "iPad 3" will have inside as there will be preorders the first weekend after the announcement. Speculation is running rampant over faster processors, beefier cameras, cheaper models, you name it, someone is predicting it will happen. I don't know what Apple might be planning for the hardware of the iPad 3, but I wouldn't be surprised if we hear about one thing in particular during the press event this week.

Rumors have been surfacing for a while about an iPad version of Microsoft Office, and I wouldn't be surprised if that is the "one more thing" at this week's announcement by Apple. Microsoft and Apple have a long-running collaboration for software on Apple hardware, and I believe it will spread to the iPad. What better time for both companies to announce this major product than the unveiling of the next generation of the iPad?

Microsoft has been clear it is supporting the iPad with its software products, the product line is simply too big to ignore. Office for iPad is coming, and it might be here sooner than anyone is expecting. The folks from Redmond could see Office for iPad become the bestselling app for the hottest tablet, a big coup for them.

Apple could milk this to good advantage too, especially as it is pushing hard to get the iPad into both the enterprise and the classroom. Lots of folks use Microsoft Office, and having an official version for the iPad can only be a good thing for Apple. It would also head off the upcoming explosion of Windows 8 tablets by getting Office on the iPad first.

The best part of an Office for iPad announcement for both Apple and Microsoft is the slap in the face it would give to Android. We already know Office is coming for Windows 8 tablets, and with the release for the iPad Android would be the only tablet platform without it.

That's why it makes sense for Office for iPad to debut this week on brand new hardware from Apple. The best office suite for the best tablet on the market. This would definitely be a big win for both Apple and Microsoft.

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