What's available now in Office 2016
Microsoft (MSFT) has maintained a fairly aggressive three-year upgrade cycle for Windows and Office since the Windows Vista operating system debuted in 2006. That means it's getting close to when the newest version of Office will hit the streets. Look for it this fall, about the same time as Windows 10 arrives.
Indeed, Redmond has already rolled out the public beta of Office, and you can try it today. Office 2016 Preview is available no matter if you're using a current version of Office (like Office 365 or Office 2013) or an older edition.
So what's new in Office 2016?
It's certainly not a comprehensive overhaul. The suite should look and behave a lot like Office 2013/Office 365, with a number of relatively minor upgrades being the watchword this time around.
Probably the single biggest part of the new release will be a significant emphasis on multiuser collaboration. Several Office users should be able to contribute to the same document in much the same way that Google (GOOG) Docs works now. In the new Office, each user works on a document that's hosted on OneDrive. Eventually, that might mean that all users see everyone's changes in real time, but in the beta right now, changes are reflected only after each document save.
Bing search is being integrated more deeply into Office as well. A promised feature is Bing Insights, the ability to research and insert information and images by performing in-program searches for any word or phrase in your document.
Perhaps the most obvious new feature in Office 2016 addresses a problem that dates back to Office 2003, the first version to feature the Ribbon interface. The Ribbon was an attempt to expose many of the program's features that users either couldn't easily find or didn't even know existed. But it angered long-time users who liked navigating the menus.
Office now includes a search bar atop the screen where you can search for features using natural language. Not sure how to add a table of contents? Just ask Word. The program won't reveal that this feature is in the References tab, it'll just do that for you. In short, Microsoft has added an entirely new search-based interface for accessing the suite's features.
Interestingly, the Office suite will eventually be released as a set of "universal" apps, delivering identical features and capabilities across all platforms, from PC to Windows Phone.
Want to try Office 2016? Be warned that it's still in beta, and it's both susceptible to crashing and is incomplete (you won't find Bing Insights or a fully fleshed out Google Docs-like collaboration yet).
But Office 365 users willing to overlook those shortcomings can go to their My Accounts page, click Language and install options, and then click Additional install options. The Office 2016 Preview is located there.
Everyone else can download the 32-bit version of Office 2016 or 64-bit version. Links to both versions and complete installation instructions are on Microsoft's Office Preview page.
Office 2016 replaces your current version of Office. The preview expires in 180 days. And while you can uninstall Office 2016, it won't roll you back to what you had before. You'll need to reinstall your older version of the software, so be sure you have the installer and old product key handy.
You can read more about Office 2016 in Microsoft's official blog post.
Photo courtesy Microsoft