OnLive debuting Windows Desktop for iPad this Thursday

Though we are still waiting for the appearance of OnLive’s long-awaited gaming app, the company will this Thursday release a new iPad app that brings the Windows 7 desktop to the device.

Called OnLive Desktop, the software provides instant, streaming access to programmes such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint. It works with multi-touch gestures along with a full on-screen keyboard and boasts all the rich media features you’d expect on a Windows 7 PC.

The app comes with 2GB of cloud storage along with a host of additional unnamed utilities and apps.

Android, smartphone, Mac and monitor/TV support is coming soon.

A Pro version of the app is also on the way, offering 50GB of cloud storage and a range of additional apps. However, users will be asked to pay a $9.99 monthly subscription for access.

OnLive is also venturing into business with its OnLive Enterprise offer, which effectively offers a full IT department based in the cloud

OnLive Desktop is the first app to deliver a no-compromise, media-rich Windows desktop experience to iPad, opening up powerful new possibilities for consumers and businesses,” OnLive founder and CEO Steve Perlman.

iPad users will now be able to simply and securely view and edit cloud-hosted documents with full-featured Windows desktop applications like Microsoft Office, just as if they were using a local high-performance PC. Multi-touch gestures respond instantly and smoothly, while HD videos, animations and PC video games—never before usable on a remote desktop – play seamlessly.”