Microsoft Corp. will launch the next version of its Office spreadsheet, e-mail and word processing programs during the second half of 2006, the same time frame it is planning for the next Windows version.
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Microsoft made the announcement Wednesday ahead of its annual CEO Summit, where the software giant invites chief executives from various corporations around the world to its Redmond, Washington campus for two days of networking and presentations led by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.
This year’s summit will focus on worker productivity, which Microsoft says will become more dependent on gathering and analyzing information using software.
Gates promised in an e-mail to executives that the upcoming Office upgrades -- code-named “Office 12” -- would make it easier for workers to “focus, prioritize and apply their expertise, visualize and understand key data, and reduce the amount of time they spend dealing with the complexity of an information-rich environment.
Jeff Raikes, the senior vice president in charge of the Office division at Microsoft, said that the trial, or beta, version of Office 12 would be ready by the end of this year, followed by the full launch next year.
Microsoft is betting that its next releases of Windows, code-named Longhorn and Office will drive a new wave of personal computer upgrades.
Office, which began as a suite of word processing, spreadsheet, presentation as well as calendar and contacts programs, has expanded to include about a dozen programs for sending instant messages, exchanging Web-based data, holding virtual Web meetings and handling other business tasks.
“We spend a lot of time thinking about how information work evolves,” Raikes said.