Don’t Worry – We Haven’t Forgotten About Windows Phone, Says Microsoft Office Team

A senior Microsoft Office spokesperson has reassured Windows Phone fans that, despite a dearth of new products recently, the company is still very much behind its mobile platform.

Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of its Operating Systems group, took to his Weibo account to say that “our Office team has not forgotten Windows Phone” and that users should expect a number of announcements on a single event some point before Chinese New Year, which falls on February 19.

This could even possibly be the Windows 10 official launch event in Redmond on January 21, where Microsoft will show off the latest version of its operating system.

China focus?

Belfiore went on to mention that Microsoft is working on new features “specifically for the China market” that will be revealed in the coming months, showing how important a market the country is for Microsoft.

He also revealed that he had received comments and letters from Windows Phone fans that have expressed frustration when they see Microsoft launch applications like Office for iOS and Android platforms “without accompanying news around what will happen on Windows Phone.”

The software giant surprised many back in November by making its Office suite of programs, which includes favourites such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint, free for iPad, iPhone and Android. The move was seen as part of a tactic to ensure customers kept using Microsoft products, no matter what platform they use, as the company also already offers free Office apps online.

A new version of Office for Mac is expected next year, while development of a touch-enabled version of the productivity suite for Windows 10 is well underway.

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