The new version of Microsoft (MSFT) Office now has a name: The company today announced the software -- heretofore referred to as "Office 14" in the tech press -- will be called "Office 2010."
Good name, but what we still don't have from Microsoft is a launch date. Microsoft exec Chris Capossela says in his company's press release that Office 2010 will enter "technical preview" (basically, beta) late this year, and will "release to manufacture" in the first half of 2010.
Microsoft is not promising to ship Office 2010 in the first half of next year. But it's possible.
A lot of this is standard Microsoft business practice. The idea is to avoid making any deadline promises until confidence is 100% they can be met. Microsoft still isn't committing to a Windows 7 release date, which everyone expects will be out in time for the 2009 holiday season.
