Microsoft says report of Office for iPad is ‘inaccurate’, but doesn’t flat out deny it

Earlier today we brought you the news that tablet newspaper The Daily had reportedly seen an iPad version of Microsoft Office that it said had already been submitted to Apple. Now, the New York Times has received a comment from the company, who says that the rumors aren’t true.

“The Daily story is based on inaccurate rumors and speculation. We have no further comment,” a Microsoft spokesperson told reporter Brian X. Chen.

This would appear, at least at first glance, to shoot down rumors of the iPad getting Microsoft’s flagship productivity product. But you can’t help but wonder at the wording. Microsoft doesn’t make any absolute statements about Office on iPad, instead it says that the story is based on inaccurate rumors.

This could refer to the fact that Office is coming to the iPad at all, true. But the statement could easily mean that the app wasn’t coming soon, or that it had not yet been submitted to Apple. We’re of the mind that Office will, at some point, make its way to the iPad, but perhaps not until it makes its first appearance on Windows 8 for ARM.

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Nevertheless, it looks like it will be later, rather than sooner according to Microsoft.

Update: Microsoft has told Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet that the image run by The Daily is a fake. But, once again, refused to comment on whether it was or was not building an iPad version of Office.