Microsoft: Office 2007 to be late, too

update Fresh on the heels of a delay in broad availability of Windows Vista, Microsoft confirmed late Thursday that it is also pushing the mainstream launch of Office 2007 to next year.

As with Vista, Microsoft hopes to finish the code for Office 2007 this year. The company said work will be completed by October, when it will make Office 2007 available to business customers that have signed up for Microsoft's volume-licensing program.

And, again like Vista, Microsoft plans to ship retail and original equipment manufacturer versions of the product in January.

"We believe this will provide an easier experience for consumers and retailers alike," a Microsoft representative said in an e-mail to CNET News.com.

Microsoft announced the Vista delay Tuesday. With the twin postponements, the PC industry's holiday season is shaping up to be quite different than the one originally expected. Microsoft has said it doesn't expect the Vista delay to dent PC sales in the fourth quarter, but analysts have largely disagreed.

Microsoft is making major changes to Office, which will feature all-new XML-based file formats, as well as a completely overhauled user interface, among other changes.

By pushing out the Office launch date, however, Microsoft will regain the ability to launch the two products in tandem. Microsoft had been planning a massive fourth-quarter launch for the products.

Earlier on Thursday, Microsoft announced that it would make Office head honcho Steven Sinofsky the leader of a new Windows and Windows Live development group. Microsoft said Sinofsky will work with Microsoft Business Division President Jeff Raikes in the coming weeks to help determine who will lead the Office business after his move.

The change in launch timing for Office 2007 was noted earlier Thursday by JupiterResearch analyst Joe Wilcox on his Microsoft Monitor blog.

Microsoft in November had released an initial test version of Office 2007, then known by its Office 12 code name. A broader test version is planned for this spring.

[mcobian]

What a surprise!

Ha, doesn't surprise me one bit. I can't believe that the richest man
in the world makes money of this crap. Not only does Microsoft
make faulty software, but they take a LONG time in making it.
Microsoft is trully one of a kind. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple
gets a big lead this year, being that I dont think alot of people want
to buy new PCs with a 5 year old OS

[sanenazok]

Makes Sense

I really can't think of a major version of Windows that didn't ship with a new version of Office as well. The only one that comes to mind is 98, which was accompanied with Office 97. Other than that, every Windows came with an Office, even going back to 3.1.

[bobby_brady]

Do people still upgrade Office? Office 97 works fine for me!

I still see no reason to upgrade, unless Microsoft can make Word type automatically.

[orfeu_niko]

Apple!

Why should Apple be the one to make a byte? They don't have anything compeling to sell. They sell nice boxes with a nice GUI and that's about all.

Microsoft should learn to embrace and extend Open Source

The battle today is between Microsoft and the Open Source community. This is a battle between proprietary, license based software, and community, service based software. Innovation and cost advantages are definitely in the Open Source community. Microsoft needs to change its business model to embrace and extend open source and offer services. IBM is already successfully pursing this strategy with system software. Who will be first in desktop and consumer software?

[gnotellaluvr]

OpenOffice is Free

This just proves another reason to use a free package like OpenOffice. I get the software free, new versions are free, and it just works better. I have been running OO for approx 4 months now with no problems. No annoying assistants popping up. Also, the main reason I switched is the fact that I do not have to have Adobe Acrobat to create a PDF file anymore.
Some people say that OO just cannot be that good. Well, look at this way. MS delivers a product late and still expects you to pay $300 or $400 for it. Then you have to purchase Adobe Acrobat at a a cost of about $300 to create a PDF file. So those 2 programs cost about $700 total. OO costs nothing.

[kmat0015]

Microsoft Needs To Take More Time With Vista

When Windows XP SP1 came out, Microsoft talked over and over again about how much beta testing the operating system had gone through before it was released. Shortly after its release, Microsoft began receiving the first of what have become almost "weekly at least" and "daily at most" at times vulnerability issues or threats to the operating system. Thus, there have been a continuous litany of patches and updates to an operating system that had originally and supposedly been "thoroughly tested" prior to its release to the general public.

After the initial release of Windows XP (soon to be known as Windows XP SP1, the SP1 meaning Service Pack 1) there were finally so many patches and updates that an entire new CD had to be created and released called Windows XP "SP2." If anyone looks at the series of patches and updates released now, you will see that almost every one of them since the relase of SP2 has now been grouped into a list within the Installed Updates on Windows XP computers as "SP3!" And that list of patches and updates continues to grow monthly.

It does not ultimately surprise me (and I suspect many others who work on computers) that Windows Vista has been delayed until January 2007 (at least!) In the interim, I would hope that Microsoft would realize that unless they want Windows Vista SP2 through whatever someday, they need to update, patch, and test the operating system right up to the morning that they burn the CD or DVD. That way, we won't all be downloading 10 to 15 patches and updates as soon as we install the CD from the Windows Vista packaging. Microsoft needs to release a "final" version of Vista (operating system or office) that is as really up to date as possible!

[Jesus#2]

60% of Vista to be rewritten

Figures office is going to be delayed. According to this article.. the
can't even get the OS right..

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Computing/Platforms?Article=/
Computing/Platforms/R7G5G6U4

It's worth a read.

[booboo1243]

Witness the result of an unchecked monopoly

What incentive is there to get new products out in a timely manner, when MS squeezes money out of you regardless?

[booboo1243]

Try the new AjaxWrite

So far, I think it does everything MS Office does except spread viruses. http://www.ajaxwrite.com/

[No invasion of privacy]

Real Artists Ship

Mac OS X is five (FIVE!) years old *today*. When Vista finally arrives
it is going to be nearly six years late cf to its nearest competitor.
SIX YEARS. Microsoft ought to be thoroughly ashamed of
themselves for such appalling tardiness in getting modern day
computing technology out.

Looking at how terrible they are making the Office interface, maybe
it isn't such a bad thing that it too is going to be late. 12 versions
and the UI it is still going to be utter rubbish. *12* versions.

[booboo1243]

The rest of the world surpasses US, UK as we wait on MS

India, China, Korea...So many other countries are moving forward with tech advances at blazing speeds embracing open source, while we wither technically as a country waiting on new Microsoft products. We are shooting ourselves in the foot people. It is time to wake up and assume resposibility for retaking our lead in the technical marketplace. For every MS product there is an alternative. Get off your lazy butt and at least try one and see if it fits you. OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Word Perfect, AjaxWrite, the list goes on. You have no right to complain about tech jobs going overseas while you drive up the cost of business at home sponsering "tech terrorism" from Microsoft.

[technewsjunkie]

OpenOffice, StarOffice

There ARE alternatives. and they are improving.

[Captain_Spock]

I think that it might...

... be a very "nice" thing if some of the folks posting here to just step outside occasionally and breathe in some "fresh air" rather than choosing to bash MS since it is believe that nothing (nil, nada) that most of you have written or can say will influence the GA of the two delayed MS products in question; more so, what are your views doing for your own bottomline in that you are spending so much of your time bashing the company whose programmers have been in the "trenches" over the years since Gates bought "DOS" and improved upon it, he did not invent the "thing".

Here is someone shooting crap about "XCode, ever look at it? The run-time system is far more advanced than .NETs CLR. The IDE, is well, different, but guess what, it supports distributed builds. Can you say that about the .NET IDE, or Microsoft studio IDE?

XGrid, grid computing. Something everything is trying to get into. Apple just made it easy for anyone to create there own clusters, locally and remotely.

IChatAV ... gee, can't think of a single piece of Microsoft software that competes. By itself, I guess it's not a barnstormer. Oh but wait, every single part of OSX (iChat, SpotLight, Quartz, Core, Speech [recognition and synthesis], are available via the run-time system.

MSDN Universal Subscription app. 3k, Apple OSX Developer kit ... free.

Yeah, they have nothing compelling to sell if you know nothing about them. By the way, I am speaking from a grass-roots point of view.

From a consumers point, Parental Controls for Safari, iChat, iTunes, etc. Seamless integration for iTunes, GarageBand, iDVD, iMovie, Pages, KeyNote, Mail, iChat. Ever seen Automator? I created a scheduled backup, for project files, without typing a single line of code, not one." and yet with all of this 90% plus marketshare is reportedly using these MS "crap"; what is the explanation for this. Now; from the standpoint of certain international business interests... what can "iTunes, GarageBand, iDVD, iMovie, Pages, KeyNote, Mail, iChat..." do for those that are looking for functionalities that would address ERR, DCFROR et cetera, et cetera (if you do know what these are about), Why not stop bashing and develop your "own" products and have a significant percentage of the 90% plus market share start using your products! Why not explain to the thousands of GM workers who may be looking for "new jobs" soon how they can use your products beneficially. You can bet your bottom dollar that I may just be using and selling the products if they have got what I need. Get real folks!

[booboo1243]

Lame posers are usually due to the loose nut behind the keyboard.

Try this...

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27292

And stop complaining about a good thing. Or, try AjaxWrite. Maybe Word Perfect? I'm tired of getting my e-mail servers bombarded with viruses from Microsoft Office using losers.

[aperson123456]

MS tisk tisk time to start from scratch

The reason windows has had such problems with vista is the MS philosophy which is either "program less, charge more" or "troubleshoot less, charge more." Either is sufficient for microsoft. Not only is windows way overdue for an overhaul the whole DOS thing is retarded. Its like a severed, infected appendage just hanging there, i really wish they would just cut it off at least. I played around with some vista betas a few months ago, and all i can tell in a nutshell from it is that microsoft vista is just microsoft xp with a 3d desktop. Someone please correct me if im wrong. Moreso i think microsoft would like to retire from programming and just continue to charge people subscription fees. Not only does it charge people lots of money, it then uses them to beta test for free, and not only that they really didnt change anything beside the gui to begin with or they just stole the software from another company anyway, all of which under the pretense of caring and trying to "produce" great software. I say give me a break! I realize im exaggerating a bit, and i do mean only a bit, but seriously when the richest software company in the world produces relatively the most crappy software theres a problem. I think based on the plethera of money that microsoft has they could at least utilize it...maybe at half the efficiency of google, or would that be too much to ask?

[aperson123456]

MS tisk tisk time to start from scratch

The reason windows has had such problems with vista is the MS philosophy which is either "program less, charge more" or "troubleshoot less, charge more." Either is sufficient for microsoft. Not only is windows way overdue for an overhaul the whole DOS thing is retarded. Its like a severed, infected appendage just hanging there, i really wish they would just cut it off at least. I played around with some vista betas a few months ago, and all i can tell in a nutshell from it is that microsoft vista is just microsoft xp with a 3d desktop. Someone please correct me if im wrong. Moreso i think microsoft would like to retire from programming and just continue to charge people subscription fees. Not only does it charge people lots of money, it then uses them to beta test for free, and not only that they really didnt change anything beside the gui to begin with or they just stole the software from another company anyway, all of which under the pretense of caring and trying to "produce" great software. I say give me a break! I realize im exaggerating a bit, and i do mean only a bit, but seriously when the richest software company in the world produces relatively the most crappy software theres a problem. I think based on the plethera of money that microsoft has they could at least utilize it...maybe at half the efficiency of google, or would that be too much to ask?