14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 will be shipped with a built-in touch-version of Office, which will also work on smartphones powered by the new operating system, but Microsoft is also working on a new build of its productivity suite for PCs with a mouse and keyboard.
The company has confirmed today that the next version of Office, intuitively called Office 2016, will launch in the second half of this year, most likely shortly after the debut of Windows 10 and the touch-optimized flavor of the productivity suite.
Only few details have been provided, but Julia White, general manager for the Office Product Management team, has explained that more information on this particular release will be provided in the coming months, as work is still underway within the company.
And in case you were wondering why so much focus on touch-optimized features, the company says that it's because it wants to deliver the same experience across all devices and that it didn't forget that PC users also need their very own Office version with improved productivity 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. We have compelling new experiences coming as part of this Office suite. We expect to make Office 2016 generally available in the second half of 2015,” Julia White said.
Office for Windows 10 will be completely free
Windows 10 will come with a pre-installed version of Office that will ship as universal apps on desktops, tablets, and smartphones running the new operating system. And yet, only smartphones and tablets with small screens will come with Office from the get-go, while everyone else will have to download it manually from the store.
Office for Windows 10 will be available in the Technical Preview builds of the operating system in the coming weeks, Microsoft has promised, while general availability is likely to be announced later this year.
Of course, we expect Office for Windows 10 to ship together with the new operating system in the fall of 2015. Microsoft hasn't provided any information on the Windows 10 release date, but September or October 2015 seems very likely to witness the debut of the new OS.
