Microsoft to dev. Office apps for iPhone?

Microsoft and Apple might seem like strange bedfellows but they shouldn't: after all, Microsoft has an entire Mac business unit and Apple develops a number of applications for Windows. So it should come as no surprise that Microsoft might be looking to increase its presence on the iPhone by developing native versions of its Office applications for the device. "To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we're actually in the process of trying to understand that now," head of Microsoft's Specialized Devices and Applications Group, Tom Gibbons, told Fortune. While that's not necessarily confirmation that Office for the iPhone is in development, it is a strong hint that the company is at least considering the possibility. On the topic of TellMe--the mobile voice recognition software that the company acquired last year--however, Gibbons was crystal clear, telling Fortune that Microsoft is "absolutely going to get a version out there as soon as we can." A strange partner though they may be, Microsoft's involvement as a developer will only make the iPhone a more robust enterprise device.

For more on Gibbon's comments:
- see this Fortune article