Microsoft mulls Office on Mac App Store, despite Apple’s cut of cash

By Molly McHugh January 28, 2011

Earlier this week, Microsoft implemented a free trial program for Mac Office users. While Apple lovers who rely on the productivity suite are thrilled with the 30-day preview of the software, there are plenty who are just as happy to utilize tools from the Mac App Store.

The Mac App Store managed to secure over one million downloads in its first day, and has become an increasingly popular hub for Apple users. And Microsoft realizes this. In an interview with All Things Digital yesterday, executive Amanda Lefebvre said opening Office up to the App Store is “something we’re looking at. It’s something we haven’t ruled out. We just have to see how that relates to our business.”

If Microsoft were to offer Office in the Mac App Store, it would be subject to Apple’s licensing agreement for apps: Apple gets 30 percent of all sales and developers pocket 70 percent. The idea of Microsoft giving that large of a slice to Apple seems ludicrous, since the company’s iWork software directly competes with this specific product. Numbers, Keynote, and Pages are all sold individually in the Mac App Store. Office for Mac is also sold bundled, and Microsoft hasn’t budged on selling its productivity programs separately for Apple users yet, which would be another hurdle.

Still, the company intends to branch out: Senior director Jason Bunge said, “You can absolutely expect Office to expand its presence across other platforms.” Could the Chrome Web Store be next?

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

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