Office for iPad tipped for 27 March release

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is expected to introduce an Office for iPad app at a San Francisco event on 27 March.

Microsoft is set to make a free app available with limited functionality, sources told Bloomberg. Users who have an Office 365 subscription will have access to a fully functioning version of the app.

The event will mark the first time Nadella has taken the stage since his appointment as Microsoft CEO on 4 February. The Microsoft chief is tipped to discuss Microsoft's cloud and mobile roadmap - an area Redmond lags behind rivals such as Apple and Google.

The launch of an Office app for the iPad does not come as surprise. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed the app was in development in October 2013 and said it would be launched after the productivity suite had arrived on Windows tablets.

Microsoft launched an Office for iOS app designed specifically for use on iPhone in June 2013. The firm has also extended its OneNote application to the Mac platform.

The next couple of months are expected to be a busy period for Redmond. Its Build developer conference starts on 2 April and details about Windows Phone 8.1 are expected to be unveiled along with information about its voice assistant software Cortana.

Khidr Suleman is the Technical Editor at IT Pro, a role he has fulfilled since March 2012. He is responsible for the reviews section on the site - so get in touch if you have a product you think might be of interest to the business world. He also covers the hardware and operating systems beats. Prior to joining IT Pro, Khidr worked as a reporter at Incisive Media. He studied law at the University of Reading and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism and Online Writing at PMA Training.