Following on from its announcement they delayed launch of the new version of Windows (Vista) earlier this week, Microsoft said yesterday that the new version of its Office business software suite would also not be in stores until January 2007.
Office 2007 had been expected to be widely released by the end of this year.
In a statement, Microsoft said Office 2007 will be completed in October as planned, and will be available at that time to large customers that buy software licenses in bulk however it will not hit retail shelves until January which will coincide with the launch of Windows Vista.
AMicrosoft spokesperson said in an that the decision to delay the release of the retail version is "simply an indication of our desire to provide an easy retail experience by coordinating delivery with Windows Vista."
Microsoft will release some versions of Windows Vista to businesses in November but the company said Tuesday that it would release the consumer version in January after computer makers and others complained that setbacks in the new operating system were making it tough to prepare for a holiday sales push.
With Office 2007, Microsoft is promising simpler graphics and a feature that tries to anticipate the commands a user is most likely to need, based on whether the user appears to be typing a list, editing someone else's work or performing some other job.
The version also will allow documents to be saved in the popular PDF file format, one of several efforts the company is making to widen Office's appeal. A wise move considering the widening use of the free OpenOffce.
Office 2007 will work with Windows XP, the version of the operating system that has been out since 2001.
Microsoft shares rose 21 cents to $27.06 in midday trading Friday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. |
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