Microsoft Office 16 Set to Launch in Second Half of 2015

Microsoft is set to launch the next version of Office, Office 16, in the second half of 2015.

According to Julia White, General Manager of Office and Office 365 at Microsoft, the Redmond-based tech giant is currently planning to launch both the Office 16 client and application servers together in the second half of 2015. White spoke at a session during the Tech Ed Barcelona event on Tuesday.

ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, who first reported the information, predicts that Microsoft will launch the both Office 16 client and server apps at the Ignite conference, scheduled for the first week of May 2015, and release them soon after.

Microsoft has reportedly started testing its Office 16 client apps for Windows internally and with some external testers. However, Foley says the firm is thought to have not yet started testing the touch-based Modern Office apps for Windows. Rumours indicate the launch date of the touch-version of Office apps for Windows will be in Spring 2015, meant for Windows 10.

In addition, ZDNet's sources have also suggested an early November release of Office for Android tablets, and the next Office for Mac in early 2015.

Microsoft last month unveiled Windows 10, skipping the version 9 to emphasize advances it is making toward a world centered around mobile devices and Internet services. It released the technical preview alongside.

The company earlier this month further released the first update to its Windows 10 Technical Preview, as part of the public Windows Insider beta testing programme in order to gauge customer feedback. The new build, numbered 9860, introduces one major feature - a common notifications panel called Action Centre.