Office 15, the next-generation productivity suite from Microsoft, is currently in private beta, offering a select group of individuals a sample of the software’s upcoming features. Although Microsoft hasn’t revealed an official release date for the new Office 15, it is expected to enter public beta this summer and launch by the end of 2012.
Some leaked details on the upcoming Office product.
Very little is known about Office 15, its features or functionality at this point, but one thing is for certain, the new Office suite is coming soon. This new version of Office will be designed for Windows 8 with the emphasis on cross-platform synchronicity, mobile-friendly interfaces and some form of Windows 8-inspired Metro-like UI for touch-centric devices. Some details have leaked on Microsoft’s plans for each of the Office 15 core applications’ features; however the company is very likely to change things a bit for the final version of the Office product.
Here’s what we know so far about new features and improvements for each client application in the forthcoming Office 15 suite.
Word 15 will come with new Read and Touch Mode features. The Read Mode will allow to automatically align text into columns to put more on the page, while the new Touch Mode feature will add touch support, enabling users to move through documents using fingers or hands and manipulate the ribbon by hand. The Touch and Read Modes are designed to make Word documents easier to read on tablets. Other new features that Microsoft is building into Word 15 include Object Zoom and Expand and Collapse. In addition, Word 15 will also receive some improvements like smoother scrolling, video embeds and the ability to share documents online through a browser, among others.
Excel 15 will include new features such as Quick Analysis Lens that will allow users to access new ways to display data visually and a Flash Fill feature that will make it easier to reformat and rearrange data in spreadsheets.
Microsoft is also making enhancements to PowerPoint 15, adding support for a 16:9 format in PowerPoint presentations. A new chart engine access feature in PowerPoint 15 will enable users to put Excel charts into presentations without messing up the current formatting. And with the new touch mode features in PowerPoint 15 the users will be able to move through slides using a touch screen or a tablet device. Additionally, the new PowerPoint app along with Excel and Word, will add an upgraded “Start Experience” that provides quick access to favorite documents, files and templates.
Microsoft Outlook 15 will also receive new features such as weather forecasts built in, in-line replies, and the Peeks feature that will allow customers to do things like viewing details about their email contacts or seeing their schedule within the same display.
OneNote 15 will come with improved tables support as well as automatically-updating file views that will let users see previews from embedded Visio and Excel files.
These are just some of the details on the upcoming features in the new Office suite. More information about Office 15 will be available as the software approaches its public beta release sometime this summer.
In the meantime, ServerPoint.com’s Windows hosting, dedicated hosting and cloud hosting customers can take advantage of the Microsoft hosting solutions that we already offer. And as soon as Office 15 is officially out, our Microsoft hosting services will be updated to support the new Office suite so you can take advantage of all the new features and improvements that the software will have to offer.