We already know just about everything there is to know about Microsoft’s upcoming operating system, Windows 8. Set to be released in October of 2012, Windows 8 will feature plenty of features that will cater to touch-screen users of tablets and smartphones.
However, Microsoft hasn’t told us much about the next version of Office. Currently, the next version of Office is code-named Office 15 (nice code-name…), but most expect that name to change to Office 2013 by the time Office is finally released.
Whatever you call it, we won’t know much about Office 2013 until an upcoming Microsoft conference. On Monday, July 16, Microsoft is rumored to be unveiling Office 2013 at a press conference in Redmond. During that conference, Microsoft is expected to reveal exactly what changes users can expect to see in Microsoft Office for Windows 8.
Tech industry experts have been abuzz about what kind of features Office 2013 will include, but most expect it to heavily emphasize touch-screen compatibility, much like the rest of the Windows 8 operating system. It will be interested to see how touch-screen features get worked into a classic program like Microsoft Word, which hasn’t changed very much in recent upgrades. Well Excel be easier to operate with touch-screen features? Or will it be much harder?
One interesting rumor states that Office 2013 is also preparing for an iPad app release, which is interesting but unlikely. A far more likely rumor states that Microsoft will reveal a free Consumer Preview version of Office 2013 later this July.
Check out this USA Today story for more information about the unveiling, which is where most rumor sources have come from. Aside from the features mentioned in that article, we’ll just have to wait until Monday to see what Microsoft has up its sleeve next.