News

Next Version of Office to Ship in 2007

Microsoft gave official word this week that the next version of Office will coincide with the general availability of Windows Vista in January 2007.

Previously, both products had been scheduled for release in the second half of 2006.

"The company remains on track to complete work on the 2007 Microsoft Office system in October of this year and is planning to make the product available to the business customers through the volume licensing program in October 2006. Retail and OEM availability of the product are scheduled to coincide with the retail and OEM availability of the Windows Vista operating system in January 2007," the company said in a statement on Friday.

Earlier in the week, Microsoft revealed that its schedule on Windows Vista had slipped by a few weeks. According to the company, the slip would mean that some OEM and retail partners would be able to get Vista ready in time for the 2006 holiday season while others wouldn't, so the entire release was pushed back to January. Corporate customers are supposed to be able to obtain Vista later this year.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

Featured

  • MIT Finds Only 1 in 20 AI Investments Translate into ROI

    Despite pouring billions into generative AI technologies, 95 percent of businesses have yet to see any measurable return on investment.

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.

  • Windows 365 Reserve, Microsoft's Cloud PC Rental Service, Hits Preview

    Microsoft has launched a limited public preview of its new "Windows 365 Reserve" service, which lets organizations rent cloud PC instances in the event their Windows devices are stolen, lost or damaged.

  • Hands-On AI Skills Now Outshine Certs in Salary Stakes

    For AI-related roles, employers are prioritizing verifiable, hands-on abilities over framed certificates -- and they're paying a premium for it.