Back in October, Microsoft confirmed the gossip being spun in rumor mills everywhere by stating their intention to release Microsoft Office 365 apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Today, the multinational tech giant announced release dates and screenshots of its flagship productivity suite, a mobile feature that has left non-native Microsoft users waiting on edge. Finally much of the iOS and Android faithful can expect Microsoft Office to be available in early 2013.

Microsoft Office is expected to debut on iPhone and iPad by late February or early March. Android users should expect to wait a little longer though, as Microsoft Office 365 is expected to come to those devices after the mobile iOS ones and will most likely be made available by May of next year.

There’s certainly been a lot of speculation as to what the new Mobile Office will offer but now the speculation can be put to rest. Once handy, users will be able to use Office with the provision that they have a Microsoft account. This doesn’t allow for use of all features but only viewing of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents. What users do have, however, is the option to purchase a subscription which allows for basic editing, as do companies and organizations which can distribute codes to enable Office Mobile editing for employees or members.

What makes up for the possibly limited options with Mobile Office is the SkyDrive integration. This allows for the sharing and collaboration of excel spreadsheets, powerpoint slides, and of course word documents through Microsoft’s cloud service from the most remote of locations as long as you have a steady internet connection.

While convenient to the mobile iOS and Android masses, some are still apprehensive that Mobile Office isn’t poised to be everything people are hoping for. An article by The Verge today expresses similar sentiments, noting “We’re told this won’t go very far in attempting to replace regular full use of a desktop Office version.” True, but I suspect that some Office is better than no Office.

There’s no word on how much a subscription to Mobile Office will run you, but the apps for viewing will be free. We’ll be keeping close tabs on the latest Mobile Office developments so stay tuned. In the meantime, we want to know what you think of Microsoft Office 365. Are you excited for it? Will you be downloading it to your iPad, iPhone, or Android device? Does Mobile Office render desktops and even laptops obsolete? Let us know in the comments section.