<p>I was somewhat surprised that Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols decided to approach our ZDNet Great Debate by playing the man rather than the ball.</p><p>The problem with Microsoft Office for iPad, he chose to argue, is not Microsoft Office for iPad but the very idea of productivity suites on the iPad in general. Deciding whether Office is a better choice than other alternatives, he seems to feel, is not unlike deciding which Friday the 13th sequel is the best to show at your mother's retirement home movie night.It enters a crowded field, but Office for iPad has Microsoft's weight and corporate nous behind it. Screenshot: David Braue/ZDNet</p><p>I'm not the only one who disagrees: Microsoft apparently moved 12 million copies of Office for iPad in its first nine days. How this translates into revenues is not yet clear many users may be put off by its requirement to have an Office 365 subscription to access high-end features but there is no doubting the interest and latent demand that Microsoft has tapped.</p><p>Clearly, people do want to be able to create content on their iPads; that shoots down much of Steven's argument, even if a majority of our Great Debate voters said they weren't too excited about Office for iPad.</p><p><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/office-for-ipad-readers-yawn-but-users-apping-it-up-7000028118/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/04/05/what-office-for-ipad-means-for-apple-inc.aspx">What Office for iPad Means for Apple, Inc.</a> (Motley Fool)</p><p><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232839">Downloading Office for iPad? Get the Right Subscription for You.</a> (Entrepreneur)</p><p><a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/business/technology/microsofts-office-for-ipad-is-pretty-as-well-as-functional-20140407">Microsoft&#039;s Office for iPad is pretty as well as functional</a> (Buffalo News)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=d1ZHeKiRrXD5zbM4cu7OQTdwt2ccM&authuser=0&ned=us">24 additional articles.</a></p>