Tag Archives: Mary Jo Foley

Computers

Want Microsoft Office on iOS or Android? You may wait until 2014

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Microsoft is making a big mistake. Assuming the leaked Office ‘Gemini’ roadmap is both legitimate and accurate, it appears that neither Outlook RT nor Office for iOS and Android will arrive any time soon. By the time they do, it’s possible nobody will care.

Mary Jo Foley—a respected and reliable source of inside information from Redmond—shed some light today on what we can expect from the Microsoft Office team. According to a leaked roadmap, Office RT apps will be available this fall alongside the expected launch of Windows “Blue”, followed by a refresh of the Office RT apps, and a new version of Office for Mac in early 2014.

Outlook RT may not arrive until late 2014.

The last bit of the leaked roadmap is the perplexing part, though. The highly-anticipated Office for iOS and Android apps and Outlook RT apparently won’t arrive until late 2014—yes, a year and a half from now.

If the information is accurate, Microsoft is missing a huge opportunity. By the end of 2014, Windows RT may not even exist if it doesn’t start gaining some traction. The Mail client on Windows RT is OK, but it’s not Outlook. The CEO of Nvidia, for one, recently blamed anemic sales of Windows RT tablets at least partially on the lack of an Outlook RT app.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

4 things Microsoft Office 'Gemini' needs to succeed

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Whether talking about the constellation in the night sky or the sign of the zodiac, the word “Gemini” is synonymous with twins. It’s no coincidence that Gemini is reportedly the code name for an upcoming Microsoft Office build that could be the twin project to Windows Blue. Together, the two efforts represent a complete shift in the way Microsoft develops and rolls out software.

According to Mary Jo Foley, a respected authority on Microsoft with reliable inside sources,  Gemini will be released inititally this fall alongside Windows Blue, with new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

For Office, Gemini could have multiple meanings. It could even be an altogether new Microsoft Office suite, a fraternal twin to the existing Office 2013. Perhaps instead of replacing Office 2013, Gemini will be a suite of Office MX apps designed for the Windows 8 Modern interface, following in the style of the current OneNote MX.

What does Microsoft have in store for Office Gemini? Here are four things Redmond should consider:

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Office "Gemini:" Dragging Microsoft's productivity suite into the modern Windows UI

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A recent leak of Windows Blue, an impending update for Windows 8, persuaded some observers to argue that Microsoft is laying the groundwork needed to take the windows out of Windows by transferring several traditional desktop lynchpins to the touch-centric modern UI.

Right now, however, the idea is laughable for one simple reason: Microsoft can’t ditch the traditional desktop interface without having a modern UI version of Microsoft Office waiting in the wings. Along with Windows, the Office productivity suite is a key pillar of Microsoft’s consumer-facing business, and neither early reports nor Microsoft’s recent public admission that Blue exists ever linked Office with a modern UI makeover.

A new report does.

Gemini: Rethinking Microsoft Office

ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley claims that a Blue-like rapid update cycle for Office exists, code-named “Gemini.” The first wave of updates is allegedly due to arrive this fall, followed by a follow-up sometime next year. Foley expects the first fall wave to introduce modern UI versions of Office’s various apps, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld