Microsoft Lync mobile clients for iPhone, iPad

Summary: Microsoft looks to be ready to roll out its Lync unified communications client for Windows Phone, iPhone, Android, Symbian and the iPad on December 12.

Alessandro Zattoni, an Information Research and Services professional in Italy, tweeted on December 9 that the Lync mobile client for Windows Phone will be available in the marketplace on December 12. He said that he learned this information at a partner-only Lync event.

Microsoft officials have been saying for months that the company planned to deliver mobile customers for its Lync unified communications product previously the end of calendar 2011. Microsoft officials said the Lync customers would be available for Windows Phone, iPhone, Android phones and Symbian phones. Previously this month, furthermore validation that the Lync mobile customers were on track to launch in December was noted by WPCentral. On December 8, WPCentral reported that the Windows Phone Lync client was visible to some in the marketplace, nevertheless not able to be downloaded but.

It appears the new Lync client as well is going to be optimized for the iPad, not just for smartphones. Microsoft released to manufacturing its Lync client for the Mac in September 2011.

Those devices, according to information on the Download site, include select iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, and Nokia mobile devices.

Lync is Microsoft’s successor to Office Communications Server. Lync is Microsoft’s unified communications platform that the company launched a year ago. Lync provides enterprise instant-messaging, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and conferencing. There as well is a Microsoft-hosted version of Lync that’s available as a standalone service and part of Office 365 in other words known as Lync Online.

Complement to Skype

Microsoft officials have been positioning Lync as a complement to Skype, its more consumer-focused VOIP service. They’ve said the plan is to integrate the two offerings at some point.

Update No. 1: If you want to see the differences in functionality between the various Lync mobile customers, Sebastiaan Poels, a consultant with Nobel in the Netherlands, has posted a handy chart that compares the features supported in the various Lync Mobile customers: Windows Phone 7.5, Nokia Symbian 3, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Freelance journalist/blogger Mary Jo Foley has nothing to disclose. WYSIWYG. I do not own Microsoft stock or stock in any of its partners or competitors. I have no business ventures that are sponsored by/funded by Microsoft or any of its partners or competitors.