Michal Ždanský Famous journalist ZDNet Mary Jo Foley got her hands on the "Gemini" roadmap, the roadmap for future Office products. According to him, we should expect the new Office for Mac in April next year, but the iOS version of Office, which according to rumors was supposed to appear already this spring, was postponed until October next year. While Foley isn't sure how up-to-date this plan is, her source reportedly told her it dates back to around 2013.
First on the agenda of the plan Gemini is an update of Office for Windows to the version codenamed "Blue". It is intended to transfer Office applications to the Metro environment for Windows 8 and Windows RT systems. This will be a new suite of apps, not a replacement for the desktop version. Metro Office will be significantly better adapted for touch control on tablets.
The second wave Gemini 1.5, coming in April 2014, will then bring a new version of Office for Mac. The last major version, Office 2011, was released in September 2010 and has received several major updates since then, but none of them have yet brought the Czech language, which is otherwise part of the version for Windows. We don't know anything about the upcoming version yet, but Microsoft is trying to slowly push subscriptions for its office suite within Office 365, and we can certainly expect something in this regard.
In any case, the subscription form is considered for the iOS and Android version of Office, which is to be delayed from the spring of this year until August 2014, when Microsoft plans the third wave Gemini 2.0. Already previously information surfaced that the mobile applications would be free and would only allow document viewing. If the user wants to edit the files from the office package, he will have to subscribe to the Office 365 service. It is not clear from the information whether the Office package will also be available for the iPhone, so far we can only count on the version for the iPad, which makes more sense after all . The third wave will also include the release of Outlook for Windows RT.
Postponing the release of the version for mobile operating systems is quite unexpected. Yesterday was too late for the release since iOS users already have enough alternatives, be it the office suite iWork from Apple, Quickoffice or Google Docs and in more than a year it will be even more difficult for Microsoft to push it on the market. John Gruber on his blog aptly noted:
I understand what he's thinking. Wait and give Windows RT and 8 a chance to catch on. But the longer they delay the release of Office for iOS, the more Office will cease to be relevant.
Microsoft declined to comment on the leaked roadmap.
What a sentence, it's a mistake (in the first three). What does concealer do? :-) Nothing wrong of course. I'm curious about the office. Especially on his options.
I hope that the new office will also bring all supported macros for mac
Well, they could have already made Office for Mac in Czech :(