[via BetaNews]

Microsoft over the weekend revealed that PDF support would be integrated into the next version of its productivity software, known as Office 12. The announcement was made on Saturday at the Global MVP Summit, Microsoft’s annual confab for its most valuable professionals.

The company says that it’s adding the new format to promote “sharing across multiple platforms.” However, the move fits in with Microsoft’s other recent efforts to take on Adobe in areas where its rival has enjoyed considerable success.

Jones reported that on the Office Online support site, Microsoft receives approximately 30,000 searches a week for PDF support. That made for a pretty easy decision as to what new feature would interest the most users.