At its Windows 10 event yesterday, Microsoft unveiled the touch-optimized version of Office. Today, the company offered more details about that version, and then snuck in another announcement: The next desktop version is under development, it is called Office 2016, and it will be generally available “in the second half of 2015.”
Office 2016, previously referred to as Office 16 (a happy coincidence, as Office 15 was named Office 2013), is right on schedule. The last three versions of the productivity software were all released approximately three years apart, as their names indicate: Office 2007, Office 2010, and Office 2013.
Microsoft said it will have more to share on Office 2016 “in the coming months.” Despite the touch version, Office 2016 “will remain the comprehensive Office experience you’re long familiar with, best suited for a PC with keyboard and mouse,” Microsoft explained.
Microsoft did not reveal any upcoming features it is planning for Office 2016. That said, screenshots and early builds have been leaking since at least September, so the new version has hardly been a secret. The news today is mainly a formality: Office 2013 will be succeeded by Office 2016.
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