
<p>The Wall Street Journal notes that Microsoft hopes its Office suite will provide leverage to attract buyers to Windows tablets, but asks whether it would be better off providing Office for the iPad and Android tablets.</p><p>According to the WSJ, Windows provides "about a quarter of revenue and about a third of operating income. The MS division that includes office has "30% of sales and nearly half of operating income."</p><p>However, PC sales are falling precipitously, and with that, the profit stream from Microsoft's share of the Wintel duopoly. The fortunes of Office are heavily tied to those of Windows, but as the Journal notes, Microsoft has an important choice to make.</p><p>One option is to continue to tie Office to Windows in hopes of supporting its tablet strategy. Tablets (not smartphones) are the apparent replacement for PCs, and Microsoft has only 7% share of Q1 global tablet sales, vs. 48% for Apple and 43% for Google platforms. If Microsoft doesn't fight tooth-and-nail for tablet market share, it will be a much smaller and weaker company five years from now.</p><p><a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/1382271-microsoft-office-better-to-switch-than-fight?source=google_news">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/an-out-of-office-message-for-ipads/story-fnay3x58-1226632446817">An 'out of office' message for iPads</a> (The Australian)</p><p><a href="http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2013/04/29/Microsoft-Redesign-042913.aspx">Microsoft Plans to Adopt Windows Design Across Brands - Brandchannel</a> (brandchannel.com)</p><p><a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020882417_microsoftwindowsxml.html">Microsoft checkup: growing pains and promise</a> (The Seattle Times)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dFsGsUwAmWHDiRMTlh1ZDaPq7qmiM&ned=us">90 additional articles.</a></p>