Microsoft holds on Office 14, mulls Yahoo deal
updated 12:55 pm EST, Tue February 24, 2009
No Office 14 until 2010
Presenting today in a "Strategic Update Meeting" mainly intended for financial analysts, Microsoft has additionally revealed that Office 14, the next anticipated version of its productivity suite, will not ship this year. Rumors had suggested that the software would launch by the end of 2009, in keeping with an accelerated launch for Windows 7. A single release candidate for Windows 7 is scheduled for April 10th, which may foretell a summer ship date instead of one in late 2009 or early 2010. A simultaneous Office release could help spur corporate upgrades.
Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer, has meanwhile admitted that the company is competing chiefly against Google in search and advertising, but that it has a "much smaller team" with which to do so. "We would like to pool Microsoft and Yahoo, not talking acquisition," says Ballmer. "But these two guys should figure out a way to get together. Maybe we'll be able to have that talk with new management at Yahoo as Carol [Bartz] comes on board."
Bartz has assumed control of Yahoo as the company's new CEO, replacing co-founder Jerry Yang. Yang became a target of Microsoft and other critics for resisting a Microsoft takeover attempt, which later became seen as a missed opportunity given a precipitous decline in Yahoo shares. Ballmer has previously suggested that a change in management could be advantageous to its search and advertising plans.
yes
02/24, 01:13pm reply
Because corps are always looking for a reason to upgrade office.
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
Yes buy Yahoo
02/24, 01:34pm reply
Microsoft should not wait. They need to buy Yahoo now no matter how much its going to cost. Spend it Microsoft, you got the power and will make up the money in a year or so when OEM have to buy your Windows 7 OS.
slapppy
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Joined: Mar 2008
new trend...
02/24, 01:38pm reply
what is with this new trend of releasing major software updates so frequently?
Adobe and CS4 was less than a year in the making.. Quark 7 to 8, same thing.. I mean, it's great if you have something major to offer, especially with office and graphics programs.. But this putting out a new version every year is ridiculous.
eldarkus
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Eldarkus
02/24, 02:50pm reply
I think it was EA Sports that started the trend... haha
luckyday
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Joined: Apr 2008
Adobe and Quark
02/24, 03:13pm reply
I think with Adobe and Quark it was the PPC to Intel transition together with the 64bit move that really spurred the upgrades. I just know that Quark universal was not so universal...especially with regards to certain plugins (AdGrabber I am looking at you).
rmoody
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Joined: Jul 2008
Adobe and Quark
02/24, 03:13pm reply
I think with Adobe and Quark it was the PPC to Intel transition together with the 64bit move that really spurred the upgrades. I just know that Quark universal was not so universal...especially with regards to certain plugins (AdGrabber I am looking at you).
rmoody
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Joined: Jul 2008
I Hate Office Upgrades
02/24, 04:40pm (1 reply) reply
Microsoft is one of the few companies that when they announce a new upgrade, it kinda ruins my whole day (sometimes much longer).
This is especially true with Office and IE. Office just isn't going to get any better, just different. It really sucks when new Office versions have new file versions. And every version of IE means one more new version I need to be worried about as a developer.
God I wish Microsoft would just stop.
macslut
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Joined: Jul 2004
Re: new trend
02/24, 05:30pm reply
what is with this new trend of releasing major software updates so frequently?
Everyone's copying Apple. They're the ones who started it, with OS X releases every 12-18 months, iLife and iWork once a year, etc.
I think it goes something like this:
You wait 3 years to release an update, and people complain about how the software is dated and not keeping up with new trends/designs.
You release every year to 18 months, and people complain about how they "have" to upgrade again, how it costs so much, there isn't anything really worth the upgrade, and it's all a money grab.
So, basically, developers are in a no win situation.
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
Re: RE: new trend
02/24, 06:55pm reply
"You wait 3 years to release an update, and people complain about how the software is dated and not keeping up with new trends/designs.
You release every year to 18 months, and people complain about how they "have" to upgrade again, how it costs so much, there isn't anything really worth the upgrade, and it's all a money grab.
So, basically, developers are in a no win situation."
So if three years is too long and a year and a half is too short. Then how about a two to a two and a half year cycle provided there is a good enough reason that makes it worth a damn to upgrade and is reasonably priced, otherwise, you are right... it's all a money grab!
MeandmyMac
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Joined: Feb 2008
Well
02/25, 12:14am reply
I have no problem with Apple putting out annual OS, iWork and iLife updates: don't need it? Don't buy it. But Adobe putting out new "releases" (aka bug fixes) every year and charging thousands of dollars for them is obscene. I guess they think they have the market sewn up, so they can rape and pillage as they see fit. Such a sad place for one of the originally best software companies to end up. Makes me wish Aldus had won instead.
dimmer
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Joined: Feb 2006