Microsoft Office 15 technical preview kicks off
Jan 31st
Summary: Microsoft is making available to select testers the technical preview of Office 15 client, server and services as of January 30.
Microsoft is kicking off the technical preview for its Office 15 client, servers and cloud services today, January 30.
A beta of all of the same Office 15 deliverables will be available to the public in “late summer,” according to a new post on the Ofice Exec blog.
Microsoft officials are not commenting on the features in any part of Office 15; on the planned release-to-manufacturing (RTM) or general availability date; or on whether the technical preview will include a version of Office that will work on Windows 8 on ARM. (I asked about all of these.) Update: Also, for those asking, we also have no idea on platform-support specifics — such as whether this preview also encompasses the rumored Office for iPad; and whether it includes a separate non-touch-centric Office 15 update for those not using tablets/touch-enabled laptops.
I’ve heard from my contacts that Microsoft’s goal is to RTM Office 15 by the end of calendar 2012. I’ve heard the Softies are wavering back and forth between calling Office 15 “Office 2012″ and “Office 2013.” (If the product RTMs very late in the year, they may opt for the 2013 name.)
With Office 2010, July 2009 was the date of the tech preview release. November 2009 was the public beta. February 2010 was the release candidate. Release to manufacturing was in April 2010, and general availability was June 2010.
Microsoft chose the participants for its Office 15 Technology Adoption Program (TAP) program earlier this month, at least according to one tweet I caught (and which the sender removed, though not before I had a chance to grab a screen shot of it).
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XML FeedsMicrosoft's Windows 8 upgrade offer: What's coming when
May 15th
Redmond may be ready to launch its latest upgrade program, via which those purchasing Windows 7 PCs this summer will get a coupon to move to Windows 8 once it is available.
It’s just about time for Microsoft to launch its expected Windows 8 upgrade program.
For the past several years, in order to keep PC sales from falling off a cliff in the months shortly before Microsoft and partners are poised to roll out new models running a new version of Windows, Microsoft has offered an upgrade program. Via these programs, customers who buy PCs running the current version of Windows (in this case, Windows 7) get “coupons” allowing them to get a free version of the next OS release (Windows 8) once it is generally available.
Here are some of the particulars of the coming Windows 8 program, according to my contacts. (The upgrade offer image above is from materials Microsoft is said to be providing to some of its OEM and retail partners about the coming program, according to my sources.)
Microsoft will make the so-called “Windows 8 Offer” available to consumers buying a Windows 7 PC running Home Basic or higher, allowing them to obtain Windows 8 Pro once Windows 8 is available. The Windows 8 Pro SKU is for tech enthusiasts and business/technical professionals, and includes encryption, virtualization, PC management and domain connectivity, as well as support for a separately priced Media Pack for Windows Media Center.
Seemingly because the offer is for the more feature-rich Pro SKU, rather than the entry-level Windows 8 (consumer) one, the offer won’t be “free.” There will be some fee attached to the coupon, but there’s no word on what that’s going to be (so far). The upgrade offer will start on or around June 2, 2012 – right around the time Microsoft delivers the Release Preview (Release Candidate) of Windows 8 – and last through January, 2013. By kicking off the upgrade program in early summer, Microsoft is hoping to capitalize on the back-to-school market, even though Windows 8 may not actually be available (and isn’t expected by most Microsoft watchers to be) by the time students start school.
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