Microsoft announced that Office 2007 has been RTMed (Released to Manufacturing) -- this means that the final copy has been released although it might be a while before it is actually available.
Microsoft Office 2007 Available December 1
Microsoft announced today that it has completed the code for its 2007 Office system, a major overhaul for the best-selling productivity suite that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and a slew of other applications (depending on which version of the suite you buy). U.S. and Canadian customers can download a fully functioning 60-day trial of the suite starting on December 1.
Microsoft announced this morning that is Microsoft Office 2007 has been released to manufacturing, setting the stage for it shipping to corporate customers later this month, and to retail early next year.
This is probably the biggest change to Office since Office 95, nearly a dozen years ago. The family menu system has been replaced by the "ribbon" user interface, especially in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Microsoft is making a big bet on this new UI, as it makes all of these applications look very different.
After using it for a while, I find a like the ribbon very much. And I've talked to users who are raving about "new features" in programs like Excel. But most of these aren't new features at all; just old features that the ribbon makes easier to fine. The problem, though, is that many people are resistant to change, and the ribbon interface does take some getting used to. After all, we've had the File, Edit, View, Window, and Help pull down menus for a long time.
