14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has just announced that the first service pack for Office 2013 will be released in early 2014 and will be available free of charge for all those who purchased this latest version of the productivity suite.
The service pack will bring performance improvements, feature updates, and better support for Windows 8.1, which means that users who already deployed the Microsoft’s newest operating system should no longer find glitches or other bugs in the app. Nothing major, at least.
“I want to give you a quick heads up that early next year we'll release Service Pack 1 (SP1) for the 2013 set of products including Office, SharePoint and Exchange. SP1 will deliver performance enhancements, feature updates and improve compatibility with Windows 8.1,” Chris Schneider of the Office team revealed in a blog post today.
“Of course if you're an Office 365 customer, you're always up to date with the latest versions of our products. We'll have more details to share on all that is coming in SP1 and how customers can acquire it closer to availability.”
In the meantime, Microsoft is also believed to be working on a touch-based version of Office that would be specifically aimed at Windows 8.1 users and tablet owners who want to create and edit documents without leaving the Modern UI.
While the company has indeed confirmed that a Modern version of Office is in the works, it refused to provide any timeframe for the launch. People familiar with the matter have suggested however that a 2014 launch is very likely.
Soon after the launch of the touch-based Office, Microsoft is also expected to debut iOS and Android versions of the productivity suite, as the company is planning to capitalize on the growing popularity of its software, especially as the transition to devices and services continues.