Microsoft Unveils The New Office

[webfact]

Microsoft unveils the new Office

Delivers Office as a cloud service while harnessing innovations enabled by Windows 8

SAN FRANCISCO: -- Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the customer preview of the new Microsoft Office, available at office.com/preview. The next release features an intuitive design that works beautifully with touch, stylus, mouse or keyboard across new Windows devices, including tablets. The new Office is social and unlocks modern scenarios in reading, note-taking, meetings and communications and will be delivered to subscribers through a cloud service that is always up to date.

"We are taking bold steps at Microsoft," Ballmer said at the press conference in San Francisco. "The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light-up when paired with Windows 8."

Office at Its Best on Windows 8

· Touch everywhere. Office responds to touch as naturally as it does to keyboard and mouse. Swipe your finger across the screen or pinch and zoom to read your documents and presentations. Author new content and access features with the touch of a finger.

· Inking. Use a stylus to create content, take notes and access features. Handwrite email responses and convert them automatically to text. Use your stylus as a laser pointer when presenting. Color your content and erase your mistakes with ease.

· New Windows 8 applications. OneNote and Lync represent the first new Windows 8 style applications for Office. These applications are designed to deliver touch-first experiences on a tablet. A new radial menu in OneNote makes it easy to access features with your finger.

· Included in Windows RT. Office Home and Student 2013 RT, which contains new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote applications, will be included on ARM-based Windows 8 devices, including Microsoft Surface.

Office Is in the Cloud

· SkyDrive. Office saves documents to SkyDrive by default, so your content is always available across your tablet, PC and phone. Your documents are also available offline and sync when you reconnect.

· Roaming. Once signed in to Office, your personalized settings, including your most recently used files, templates and even your custom dictionary, roam with you across virtually all of your devices. Office even remembers where you last left off and brings you right back to that spot in a single click.

· Office on Demand. With a subscription, you can access Office even when you are away from your PC by streaming full-featured applications to an Internet-connected Windows-based PC.

· New subscription services. The new Office is available as a cloud-based subscription service. As subscribers, consumers automatically get future upgrades in addition to exciting cloud services including Skype world minutes and extra SkyDrive storage. Subscribers receive multiple installs for everyone in the family and across their devices.

Office Is Social

· Yammer. Yammer delivers a secure, private social network for businesses. You can sign up for free and begin using social networking instantly. Yammer offers integration with SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics.

· Stay connected. Follow people, teams, documents and sites in SharePoint. View and embed pictures, videos and Office content in your activity feeds to stay current and update your colleagues.

· People Card. Have an integrated view of your contacts everywhere in Office. The People Card includes presence information complete with pictures, status updates, contact information and activity feeds from Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.

· Skype. The new Office comes with Skype. When you subscribe, you get 60 minutes of Skype world minutes every month. Integrate Skype contacts into Lync and call or instant message anyone on Skype.

Office Unlocks New Scenarios

· Digital note-taking. Keep your notes handy in the cloud and across multiple devices with OneNote. Use what feels most natural to you — take notes with touch, pen or keyboard, or use them together and switch easily back and forth.

· Reading and markup. The Read Mode in Word provides a modern and easy-to-navigate reading experience that automatically adjusts for large and small screens. Zoom in and out of content, stream videos within documents, view revision marks and use touch to turn pages.

· Meetings. PowerPoint features a new Presenter View that privately shows your current and upcoming slides, presentation time, and speaker notes in a single glance. While presenting, you can zoom, mark up and navigate your slides with touch and stylus. Lync includes multiparty HD video with presentations, shared OneNote notebooks and a virtual whiteboard for collaborative brainstorming.

· Eighty-two-inch touch-enabled displays. Conduct more engaging meetings, presentations and lessons, whether in person or virtually, with these multitouch and stylus-enabled displays from Perceptive Pixel.

While the full lineup of offerings and pricing plans will be announced in the fall, Ballmer discussed three new Office 365 subscription services. When available, each new subscription offer will include the new 2013 editions of the Office applications — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access. In addition, subscribers will receive future rights to version upgrades as well as per-use rights across up to five PCs or Macs and mobile devices. The three new editions will be the following:

· Office 365 Home Premium — designed for families and consumers. This service also includes an additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage and 60 minutes of Skype world minutes per month.

· Office 365 Small Business Premium — designed for small businesses. This service also includes business-grade email, shared calendars, website tools and HD webconferencing.

· Office 365 ProPlus — designed for enterprise customers who want advanced business capabilities and the flexibility to deploy and manage in the cloud.

-- The Nation 2012-07-21

[noahvail]

SkyDrive? Anyone else paranoid enough to see a close-enough coupling to SkyNet?

[humqdpf]

We really are slaves to the Microsoft whip. I have only recently purchased a Windows 7 operating system with Office 2010 as an expensive add-on only to find that MS Access is no longer bundled in the standard 2010 (home and office version). Now I am supposed to buy yet another Windows platform plus new office? I will have to spend even more cash to get MS Access.

This new Office software is internet based (or in the 'cloud' as MS call it), which means that the vast majority of potential users on the planet will not be able to use it because they do not have access to the kind of high-speed stable broadband service to make this sustainable as a solution.

[hml367]

We really are slaves to the Microsoft whip. I have only recently purchased a Windows 7 operating system with Office 2010 as an expensive add-on only to find that MS Access is no longer bundled in the standard 2010 (home and office version). Now I am supposed to buy yet another Windows platform plus new office? I will have to spend even more cash to get MS Access.

This new Office software is internet based (or in the 'cloud' as MS call it), which means that the vast majority of potential users on the planet will not be able to use it because they do not have access to the kind of high-speed stable broadband service to make this sustainable as a solution.

Your post is misleading in my opinion. I have the preview installed on 2 of my computers and don't use "the cloud" with either one.

You should look at the difference between Office 2013 and Office 365.

MSPain

Edited July 21, 2012 by hml367

[hml367]

We really are slaves to the Microsoft whip. I have only recently purchased a Windows 7 operating system with Office 2010 as an expensive add-on only to find that MS Access is no longer bundled in the standard 2010 (home and office version). Now I am supposed to buy yet another Windows platform plus new office? I will have to spend even more cash to get MS Access.

This new Office software is internet based (or in the 'cloud' as MS call it), which means that the vast majority of potential users on the planet will not be able to use it because they do not have access to the kind of high-speed stable broadband service to make this sustainable as a solution.

When was Access part of the Standard Suite last?

MSPain

Edited July 21, 2012 by hml367

[warfie]

Go Linux, go OpenOffice, shake off the Microshaft yolk!

[hml367]

No thanks.

MSPain

[Nigel1500]

We really are slaves to the Microsoft whip. I have only recently purchased a Windows 7 operating system with Office 2010 as an expensive add-on only to find that MS Access is no longer bundled in the standard 2010 (home and office version). Now I am supposed to buy yet another Windows platform plus new office? I will have to spend even more cash to get MS Access.

This new Office software is internet based (or in the 'cloud' as MS call it), which means that the vast majority of potential users on the planet will not be able to use it because they do not have access to the kind of high-speed stable broadband service to make this sustainable as a solution.

When was Access part of the Standard Suite last?

MSPain

I think it was Windows 2000. I'm pretty sure I've bought 2010, 2008, and 2003 as Professional Editions to get Access.

[Nigel1500]

We really are slaves to the Microsoft whip. I have only recently purchased a Windows 7 operating system with Office 2010 as an expensive add-on only to find that MS Access is no longer bundled in the standard 2010 (home and office version). Now I am supposed to buy yet another Windows platform plus new office? I will have to spend even more cash to get MS Access.

This new Office software is internet based (or in the 'cloud' as MS call it), which means that the vast majority of potential users on the planet will not be able to use it because they do not have access to the kind of high-speed stable broadband service to make this sustainable as a solution.

Don't buy it then. Just use OpenOffice ... it's free.

[Nigel1500]

No thanks.

MSPain

Quit whinging then !!!

[rotary]

With Microsofts market share falling due to MAC, Open Office, Linux,etc sounds like they are nervous. I heard on the radio a few weeks ago the program was comparing Microsoft to Kodak, and we all know what happened there.

[JakeBKK]

Microsoft office? nah thanks..... and why in buddha's name should i put documents in a skydrive? surrender my documents to us jurisdiction voluntarily. I haven't been whacked with a 4x4 yet, so my brain is still ok.

Seriously why mess around a piece of software buggy as hell ! M$ products are usually crap until SP1 is released.

Open source rules : Libre Office here Open Office is now: Apache Open Office here

[horsewell]

I've avoided owning Windows based PCs all my life, however, I have owned them and worked with them all my working life. I see that most people use a very small fraction of the power of the MS Office and those that do often find little bugs and quirks in the software (have you ever tried to write a manual of 100s of pages using sub documents?) There are a lot of good alternatives out there. Some simple like Abiword and others, with most if not all the features, such as Open Office or Libre Office. Personally, I use Libre Office but I believe in freedom and those that choose to use MS Office, I would not say a bad word.

I think the "cloud" fad that is happening will burn a few people in the end. Can you trust the company, law enforcement and your government not snooping. I'm not talking about doing illegal things. Far from it. It's just that lots of things could be misinterpreted or misconstrued. The "cloud" can be hacked. The "cloud" can have a denial of service attack or be shut down without notice. The cost of keeping data in the "cloud" could increase dramatically overnight. Better to keep documents on a local drive, backed up on a local drive. Maybe there is a use when collaborating with others but do we really need to use it all the time? I think it's probably a pretty rare situation when multiple people need to simultaneously work on the same document at the same time (however, prove me wrong).

[hml367]

No thanks.

MSPain

Quit whinging then !!!

Where did I whing?

MSPain

Edited July 21, 2012 by hml367

[RKASA]

Will it even run on XP or vista - was hearing it won't. Your data is not safe on your windows desk top - why would you give it to an MS server?

[JakeBKK]

Will it even run on XP or vista - was hearing it won't. Your data is not safe on your windows desk top - why would you give it to an MS server?

xp and vista are eol (end of life) anyway, so why bother?

[alant]

Go Linux, go OpenOffice, shake off the Microshaft yolk!

the problem is that open office simply isn't a patch on the Microsoft product. Well at least for those who would rather a document has words that are spelt correctly...

Edited July 22, 2012 by alant

[bendejo]

I've had a Windows Mobile smartphone (HTC) the past 4 years, and the only way to sync is via Outlook, and it has to be the full Outlook that comes with MSO, none of the 'lite' versions, so I have to install MSO. The only other things in MSO I use are Word and Excel, then I started using OneNote. I have no use for all the collaboration stuff, db tools, etc. OneNote is a nice, convenient way to haphazardly store information, and I realized early on once I got rid of MSO all the stuff I had in OneNote would have to be exported to another format. I've only used Outlook for my own calendar and address book, no email connection.

Once doing a clean install of MSO and trying to keep the size down I experimented with various eliminations in the install setup. At one point I got it down to where I had checked nothing in the setup -- that's right, no boxes were checked. Did MSO tell me "hey, you didn't select anything, so nothing to install"? No. It let me initiate. It installed about 1Gb of crap onto the system. This is without counting the 700Mb MSOCache it creates on the C: drive.

Well, it looks like the old HTC is on it's way to giving up the ghost, so I'd like to distance myself from MSO. I tried LibreOffice, and after fiddling a bit I realized the WIndows version doesn't do macros. OpenOffice isn't good with macros involving dates/timestamps (try this: create a macro that inserts date or time in your format of choice. Close the document and OO, then re-open. You'll see what I mean).

I would like to get away from Windows. Apple stuff is out of the question, which leaves Linux. Ubuntu has not installed well for me since the 10.xx version. Yeah, maybe it's my hardware, I'll be getting a new laptop next year so I'm hoping things improve. When I try to get something working and it doesn't my first response is usually "what am I doing wrong?" and I do things over again with variations etc. Bad method, as this can take hours, and when it still isn't working properly I do some web research and discover I've been fighting a known bug. This has been the case of my Ubuntu 12.04 installation, one bug after another. The last straw was when I couldn't get my wifi adapter to work (was ok in previous releases), after a few hours learned the driver was hosed in this release. Found out the adapter was supported in ndiswrapper, so fiddled with that for a while until I found out ndiswrapper is broken in this release. It was time for a sanity check, and I realized for the previous three days I had dedicated most of my waking hours trying to get Linux to work properly. Shades of the 1990s. These problems were kernel-related, meaning they trickle down to all Ubuntu-based distros.

Debian doesn't like my hd controller, says there are no hard drives on my system. Looking forward to giving that a go on my next system.

Back in the 1990s Linux and FreeBSD took a bit of knowledge and patience to set up. Ubuntu came along and made things easier, but not any more. Sometimes we want an OS, not a hobby.

XP is popular with people who run *ix and need WIndows in VirtualBox, as it is much smaller than the later releases.

Edited July 22, 2012 by bendejo

[hml367]

I installed the new Office suite preview and Outlook syncs with my Windows Phone through the channels designed by MS in their packages. I actually like Office 2012 better than the Live so far.

MSPain

[GeorgeO]

Microsoft office? nah thanks..... and why in buddha's name should i put documents in a skydrive? surrender my documents to us jurisdiction voluntarily. I haven't been whacked with a 4x4 yet, so my brain is still ok.

Seriously why mess around a piece of software buggy as hell ! M$ products are usually crap until SP1 is released.

Open source rules : Libre Office here Open Office is now: Apache Open Office here

If I have a problem with my home computer, I can always get my documents retrieved by a local expert; however, what happens if something goes wrong with the storage of my documents over which I have no control? What do we get from MS? ..."Ooops, Sorry....!!" I'd rather maintain full control over my own stuff!

What's more, they have mentioned several times that all of this will be available to subscribers! If a subscription to this "cloud-based" package is anything like buying the Office suite at a computer store, I doubt they'll get many takers!

[planemad]

Having looked at the new office suite, I have to say I quite like many of the additions particularly the ability to open, read and edit PDF files. Powerpoint has some new features which, as an Instructor, I quite like. For those that are concerned about the Skydrive, some reviews suggest that files are saved there by default, that is simply not true. Just use your C drive as normal and upload to the Skydrive IF YOU want to.

If you don't like MS, this wont encourage many to try it, but for those that have used the previous office system this is very good (for a Beta version) and certainly far better than any of the available freeware .....IMO.

KS

[JakeBKK]

Having looked at the new office suite, I have to say I quite like many of the additions particularly the ability to open, read and edit PDF files. Powerpoint has some new features which, as an Instructor, I quite like. For those that are concerned about the Skydrive, some reviews suggest that files are saved there by default, that is simply not true. Just use your C drive as normal and upload to the Skydrive IF YOU want to.

If you don't like MS, this wont encourage many to try it, but for those that have used the previous office system this is very good (for a Beta version) and certainly far better than any of the available freeware .....IMO.

KS

Open Office handles pdf's for quite a while... Nothing personal, planemad, : powerpoint IMHO belongs in one box with waterboardning, thumbscrews and other torture tools. A piece of software which enables computer illiterate persons to create blinking, flashing 3 hour presentations (mandatory in some companys ) close to mindrape, should definitely be banned.

[endure]

I think the "cloud" fad that is happening will burn a few people in the end. .

I have to agree with this 100%. If your data is that important to you buy an extra (or even two) external hard drive and make sure you've got duplicate copies. Trusting it to an internet connection and a company you have no control over is madness.

[hml367]

Microsoft Office has also handled pdf files for some time.

As for cloud, as has been posted many times in this thread already, it is a choice to save in the cloud and the possible reasons are clearly talked about in the Office explanations.

MSPain

Edited July 22, 2012 by hml367

[JakeBKK]

I think the "cloud" fad that is happening will burn a few people in the end. .

I have to agree with this 100%. If your data is that important to you buy an extra (or even two) external hard drive and make sure you've got duplicate copies. Trusting it to an internet connection and a company you have no control over is madness.

Same here. OK. it may be a controversial example, but when megaupload closed some legit customers where crying. The couple of times amazon went down, they even took out major players like printerest. Chopped undersea cables, government blockage, rain ( TiT), super reliable thai providers are all reasons why all i want from a cloud is rain =-)

[rijb]

Microsoft is now the IBM of the 90's. The sooner they get rid of Ballmer the better. And before they turn into Yahoo.

[Narratio]

General agreement. I don't see the point of cloud computing. But then, I'm not living a fully wired Major US city where you have huge bandwidth availability and connections are almost forced upon you.

Cloud computing and data storage is probably for the people who do 'work' using thier smart telephones while bungee jumping off the Golden Gate bridge or something similar, not for dinosaurs like me who still wants data to be in a box, on my desk where I can see it.

[quandow]

The most prominent OS worldwide is STILL Windows XP. Office 2000 is my personal favorite version cuz it does what I need it to do. All the new bells, whistles and gongs are merely changes for the sake of change to facilitate sales. They don't enhance productivity in 90% of the time, they just enhance MS stockholders' pocketbooks. Or maybe not, I haven't followed MS stock in years.