Microsoft Office 2016 out by Sept. 22?

[photo: Commons Wikimedia/Microsoft Corporation]

With Windows Mobile 10 and Microsoft Surface Pro expected to be out sometime in October, a related application could be making its debut weeks earlier.

The program in mention is the Microsoft Office 2016, something that will reportedly make its debut on Sept. 22, 2015.

The new 2016 Office Suite was designed for use on touch-enabled devices, apparently something that can be used on the Microsoft Surface Pro once it does come out. There will be new updates to its lineup such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Skype for Business, Project, Visio, Access, and Publisher.

All this was based on a leaked document by WinFuture.de that shows a screenshot from one of Microsoft's employees.

So what has changed for Office 2016? Visually, there is nothing truly notable that should be somehow relieving for folks who would need to get accustomed to a redesigned interface. Rather, the emphasis of the upcoming program is more on real-time collaboration and adding support for simultaneous real-time editing.

Aside from focusing on touch-enabled technology, the upcoming Office 2016 will also try to focus on cloud storage content which should come in handy for groups who would want to gain access to certain files, not to mention make necessary edits when needed.

To date, preview mode of the software has been made available to users with existing subscriptions to Office 365. For those who are not subscribers, a trial version of Office 2016 is available to allow interested folks a glimpse of things to come for Microsoft Office 2016.

For now, there is no word yet on pricing, although there is a chance that it could very well be priced at the same value as Office 2013. Right now, Office Home & Student 2013 retails for about $139.99 at the Microsoft Store so it could be similar or maybe slightly higher.