Microsoft is cooking the next version of the Office System for release in 2010, Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer has revealed in the second half of February 2009. Still, development has already started for the successor of Office 2007, with Senior Vice President Chris Capossela promising that more details on the company's next iteration of Office will be made public “relatively soon,” according to Beyond Binary. Capossela has indicated that Microsoft is, in fact, gearing up to offer details on the first Beta of Office 14, stressing that, just like the Windows platform, Office also enjoys extensive testing programs with stages open to the public.

In this regard, Microsoft plans to open up not only Office 14, but also Office 14 web applications. “That's been true of the suite,” Capossela explains. “That will certainly be true of the suite this time and of the Web apps.” However, the Microsoft VP has failed to point out a delivery date for Office 14, pointing out that major Office releases are, as a general rule, separated by three-year gaps. “I don't think Office 14 is going to be wildly different. Office has had a pretty predictable ship rate and I think we will continue with that.”

Unlike Office 2007, Office 14 will bring to the table not only the traditional desktop-anchored Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, but also new variants offered as services in the Cloud. According to Microsoft, the web-based Office apps will work with Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox and will be available to customers both free, but via an ad-supported model, or through subscription.

Just as Office 14 Alpha is being tested, so the Office 14 web apps are currently being test-driven by select testers. “We will look to expand that number relatively soon,” Capossela promises. “In terms of when things will be completely done, we'll take the beta name off when the wave is completely done.” Microsoft expects the web-based apps to be finalized only after the company will wrap up Office 14.