Microsoft Begins Technical Preview of Office 15, Beta Launch in Summer 2012

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has announced that it has released a Technical Preview version of Office 15 to select customers, who will test the software, point out bugs and suggest usability improvements, if any. ^[1] It also announced that it will be releasing a public beta of Office 15 in Summer of 2012. Office 15 is the next version of Microsoft Office expected to be launched in 2013. Office 15 will offer a completely redesigned interface, optimized for touch-based tablets as well as standard notebooks. Microsoft Office competes primarily with Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Docs, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iWork and open-source alternatives like Open Office and Libre Office.

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Office 15 to be a major release for Microsoft

The last version of Office – Office 2010 – has sold more than 200 million licenses since launch. With Office 15, Microsoft is targeting a larger market, and may sell even more licenses, though the average selling price (ASP) may take a hit due to cheaper versions for tablets.

According to Microsoft, Office 15 is its “most ambitious undertaking” yet, and will unite the Office software suite with its cloud and mobile versions. Besides the core Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps, Office 15 will also include upgrades to Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, Project and Visio. Despite increasing competition, we expect Microsoft’s market share in the office productivity software market to show only a slight decline in the coming years.

Office is Microsoft’s most valuable business and generates a majority of its revenue. It accounts for more than 30% of Microsoft’s $32 Trefis price estimate, which stands nearly 5% above its current market price.

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1. Microsoft Begins Private Preview of Office 15, Mashable [↩]