Microsoft is on a roll these last few days, with a slew of announcements ranging from Windows 10 to the futuristic HoloLens. But that’s not all. The company also revealed yesterday that it would be releasing its next major version of Office, aptly named Office 2016, later this year.
Office 2016 is different from the unified Office for Windows 10 that Microsoft highlighted at its keynote last Wednesday. The touch-friendly Windows 10 app suite is designed to work across different platforms, so it’s optimized for both desktop computers and smaller screens (those under 8 inches). This means that it will almost certainly be a version of Office more akin to what you already know and (maybe) love. In other words, just like past versions of Office, but with new features.
“We will have more to share on Office 2016 in the coming months, but this suite will remain the comprehensive Office experience you’re long familiar with, best suited for a PC with keyboard and mouse,” says Julia White, Microsoft’s Office general manager. “We expect to make Office 2016 generally available in the second half of 2015.”
Microsoft is combining inking and touch modes to take advantage of some of the unique parts of Windows 10. A brand new Outlook mail app will also span across Windows 10 on desktops, tablets, and even phones. More information will be revealed in the next few weeks, Microsoft promised.
