Touch-Enabled Microsoft Office 15 Coming On Monday?

Microsoft could reveal the latest version of its office suite of programmes, Microsoft Office 15, on Monday, according to a report by American newspaper USA Today.

New versions of programmers such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint could be unveiled, while improved touch support is also expected.

Better compatibility with Microsoft’s online services, such as Office 365, is also set to be included, as Microsoft looks to protect the revenue stream produced by Office in the face of competition from the likes of Google Apps.

Touch support

Another threat is that Apple is positioning the iPad as a work tool, but no version of Microsoft Office has been released for the tablet. This has prompted speculation that an iPad version could be announced. It was reported in February that such a version was ready for approval, but it has not yet materialised.

Microsoft has released iOS apps for SkyDrive and OneNote, which means it is not adverse to supporting a rival platform.

Touch support is expected to be a highly touted feature of Office 15, especially considering that Windows 8 has been confirmed for an October release. Windows 8 is the first version of the operating system that will work equally well on both a desktop and a tablet. Microsoft announced its own tablet, the Surface, last month.

Office is a key source of revenue for Microsoft and accounted for $22.2bn of the $70 billion revenue it generated in the 2011 fiscal year. It also contributed $14.1 billion to its total operating income, the highest by far of any Microsoft unit.

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