Microsoft Reportedly Considering iPad Version of Office

T3 reports that Microsoft Senior Product Manager Mike Tedesco revealed during the Office for Mac 2011 preview event at Macworld that the company is "looking at" the possibility of bringing its Office productivity suite to Apple's iPad tablet device.

"Yeah, it's something that we're looking at," said Microsoft's Mike Tedesco, who is the Senior Product Manager for WindowsBU. "Obviously the announcement (of the iPad) is really fresh and there's nothing to announce or nothing that I can talk to you about today.

As the report notes, the release of an Office suite for the iPad would bring a significant credibility boost to the device, particularly in the eyes of business users with a critical need for such productivity software. For its part, Apple featured iPad versions of its iWork applications at the iPad media event last month, and will be offering Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for the iPad through the App Store at $9.99 per application.

Tedesco's comments come soon after Microsoft founder Bill Gates downplayed the significance of the iPad, noting that "there's nothing on the iPad I look at and say, 'Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it.'"