Microsoft's new Office: The cloud finally takes center stage

Word 2013 Preview start screen

(Credit: Microsoft)

When Microsoft was readying its Office 2010 suite, many wondered whether the company would follow Google down the cloud-first path. As Office 2010 users know, that didn't end up happening.

But with the coming release of Office, codenamed Office 15, Microsoft finally is moving a lot of its focus to the cloud.

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A Consumer Preview (aka public beta) of the Office 2013 client -- plus previews of a bunch of new Office service plans -- is set to be available for download as of July 16 starting around noon PT, the same time as a San Francisco media event focused on the new Office kicks off.

This new focus does not mean Microsoft is giving up on locally installed versions of Office. With the coming Office... [Read more]