Microsoft Corp in Redmond, Washington today announced the completion of the 2007 Microsoft Office system code and confirmed its release to manufacturing (RTM).
This gold code milestone concludes the largest Microsoft Office beta program to date, with more than 3.5 million people downloading Beta 2.
The unprecedented quantity of feedback from beta testers and customers helped the Office development team effectively validate product quality and optimise performance.
Microsoft Office RTM also marks a critical step toward worldwide business availability of the 2007 Office system, Windows Vista operating system and Exchange Server 2007 on 30 November 2006.
To underscore the significance of this new day for business, Microsoft executives will participate in events around the globe, including an event with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in New York. General availability of the products will follow in early 2007.
"We've crossed the development finish line, and the team deserves to celebrate," said Cyril Belikoff, Information Worker Business Group Executive, Microsoft South Africa. "The 2007 Microsoft Office system RTM completes the most significant improvements to the products in more than a decade. It's rewarding to be able to send this release off to our customers and help them take the next big leap forward in productivity."
Belikoff continued: "What is most significant is the positive feedback we have had from local customers and partners on the 2007 Office System. It is encouraging to see how partners have leveraged the new platform to build real business solutions and how customers are putting the new Office System at the centre of their business."
Today's RTM begins the delivery of new tools and resources that will allow customers to learn about, try, and buy the next release of Microsoft Office:
* Learn. Microsoft Office Online has been redesigned to help people learn about what's new in the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Through the new enhancements, information workers can easily determine which products are best for their needs and find related productivity resources - whether it is assistance from one of the nearly 50 000 new help articles, a how-to refresher through one of the 35 new demos, online training through any of the 24 new courses, downloading one of the more than 400 new templates, or accessing other product downloads and tools.
* Try. Starting 1 December in the US and Canada, and coming soon after to an additional 13 international markets*, Microsoft will make available free, downloadable product trials via Office Online. Expanding on the Online Test Drive already available today, the trials will allow people to try the new desktop programs before they decide to buy or upgrade to the 2007 release.
* Buy. To support purchase and adoption, the 2007 release of Microsoft Office includes the largest investment in deployment and management tools in the product's history. IT professionals can significantly reduce the cost and complexity of desktop deployments and upgrades by utilising resources such as the Office Migration Planning Manager, Open XML Formats Conversion Toolkit, the Business Desktop Deployment 2007 Solution Accelerator, the Office Resource Kit, and more.
Beyond overall code quality for RTM, other notable updates include the following:
* SMS link for Office Outlook 2007. This new service allows Outlook 2007 users to connect with friends', families' and colleagues' mobile phones by using SMS text messaging. It allows people to send and receive e-mail, contacts, appointments and tasks as text messages to mobile phones.
* Localisation. Most desktop application products in the 2007 Office system will be comprehensively localised in 38 languages.
* Multilanguage support. For the first time, 2007 Office system customers will be able to purchase individual, single language add-on packs that enable applications and suites to instantly become bilingual. The packs add a secondary localised user interface, help files, dictionary and thesaurus.
More information about the 2007 Microsoft Office system and trying the new SMS Link service can be found by visiting the new Office Online at http://office.microsoft.com.
* UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands and Mexico.
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