It's no secret that Microsoft has struggled to break through in the highly competitive mobile market. While some have argued that the Surface tablets and Windows Phones have gotten off to decent starts, there's no question that it's going to be difficult taking on the likes of Apple and Android.
You can see that Microsoft understands the situation just in the way its own commercials have evolved over the last few months. The original Surface commercials didn't mention rivals at all, while the more recent are significantly more aggressive.
What's more, they're beginning to highlight the one big advantage Redmond has over Apple and Android: Microsoft Office.
While many wait patiently for iOS and Android versions of Office to be released, Microsoft is trying to take advantage of this by highlighting the fact that the Surface and other Windows 8-powered tablets can run these programs right now. Some, like Surface and Windows RT, even come with Office built-in for free.
But is that going to be enough to sway people away from iPads and Android slates?
Over at PC World, Tony Bradley argues that, as much as people want Office on their tablets, it won't be good enough. In fact, he says Microsoft should learn a lesson or two from another company that once had a stranglehold on a much-desired program, only to squander its advantage all too quickly: BlackBerry.
Recently, BlackBerry announced that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) would be arriving on iOS and Android as a free app. A few years ago, this news would've been groundbreaking, generating tons of excitement. Now? It's hard to imagine many people caring.
"At this point, WhatsApp has more than three times as many users as BBM, and Facebook Messenger has nearly 12 times as many users-and those are just two examples from a crowded selection of messaging apps. The ship has sailed when it comes to demand for BBM," Bradley wrote.
The point here is that as much as people liked or wanted BBM, they weren't going to move from Apple or Google to get it. They'd just find another way to make do. The fact that Surface tablets aren't lighting the world on fire already could be sufficient evidence enough to show that Office alone isn't going to kickstart Microsoft's mobile fortunes, and that maybe holding out on iOS and Android is a mistake.
"It makes sense for Microsoft to use Office to add value to Windows Phone, Windows RT, and tablets and hybrids running Windows 8," Bradley wrote. "But the availability of Office-or the lack thereof-won't sway a purchase decision one way or the other. Businesses won't decide against buying Android or iOS devices if they think those platforms will suit their needs best. If Office isn't available, they'll find apps for those devices to take its place. In this way, Office could be rendered irrelevant as the demand for traditional PCs plummets."
Some analysts think Microsoft is leaving billions of dollars on the table just by not releasing Office on iOS alone. At some point, the company is going to have to decide if pushing Surface and Windows 8 devices is worth the risk of not getting as many Office users/subscribers as possible. If its own products don't take off, it could eventually find itself in a similar position to BBM - and that won't be a good thing.
