Although no official word has been spoken with regards to its public unveiling, USA Today seems to believe the software maker will unveil it to the public next Monday, July 16th. Reports have recently been circulating which suggest the Consumer Preview will be ready by the end of this month, so while it’s not unrealistic that Microsoft will showcase the updated iteration next week, USA Today doesn’t cite any particular sources to back up its claim.
Windows 8 has garnered much positive coverage not only from the press, but also consumers. Releasing the usually developer-only beta to the public in an unprecedented move certainly worked in the company’s favor, and a large portion of PC users will be optimistic about the Final release. As important as the reception of Windows 8 is, Office is almost as pivotal, since not only do the vast majority of Windows users rely on Office, but a considerable amount of Microsoft’s revenue stems from the suite, consisting of the likes of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
If the rumor does turn out to be true, it will be the first real look at what Microsoft has been cooking up, and it will be intriguing to see how it’s been woven into the all-new Metro interface. Of course, a beta did leak into the wild a short time ago, but there’s no telling just how accurate a representation it was of what we may be treated to come Monday.
Office 2013 is not thought to be releasing contemporaneously with Windows 8, and while the eight edition of Microsoft’s domineering operating system should have launched by the end of October, Office 2013 is not expected to be making an appearance until the end of the year.
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With Microsoft offering very reasonable upgrade packages for consumers jumping to Windows 8 from an older OS, let’s hope, with bated breath perhaps, that the company has a similar deal in mind for those wishing to make the transition to Office 2013.