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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.