Microsoft Office, Windows Details Leak

Details about unreleased Microsoft products leak online almost daily, but most of the recent rumors have revolved around the next version of Windows. That trend continued this week, but for the first time in months, details about the next version of Office have emerged, too.

When Microsoft launched Office 365 Home Premium in January 2013, it promised subscribers would get immediate access to all the latest Office releases. Since then, the Office team has been active, filling out its presence on iOS and Android, and launching intriguing enterprise apps such as Delve. But since launching Home Premium, Microsoft has left its familiar Office products for Windows PCs relatively unchanged.

Crediting sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, the website The Verge, which has a good record for pre-release Microsoft information, published alleged screenshots of the next version of Office for PCs. The images reportedly came from a private technical preview Microsoft is running to test the new software. Microsoft has said it has nothing to share regarding the screenshots.

According to the report, the new Office, reportedly codenamed "Office 16," will maintain the "ribbon" interface but integrate several iterative enhancements. These additions will reportedly include the "Tell Me" tool already present in Office Online. Tell Me allows users to quickly ask how to complete a certain task without digging aimlessly through Office's numerous menus. If a user types, "How do I insert a photo?" or even "insert photo," for instance, Tell Me presents the instructions.

:story: InformationWeek