2010年春季Windows Mobile 7 and Office Mobile 7将会RTM

At a Microsoft Open House last week in New York City, Robbie Bach, president of the company's Entertainment and Devices Division, got a little more specific with Office 2010's release date. Previously, Microsoft was only saying first half of 2010, but now we're told "New version of Office which is coming out in the spring, you'll see that," according to Bach (full transcript).

　　The next version of Office will come in a myriad of flavors: five Office 2010 client versions available for purchase for Windows, Office Web Apps available for desktop and mobile browsers, Office Starter 2010 available for free with new OEM PCs, and finally a new Office Mobile release.

　　 The last one is the one we've heard the least about. Office Mobile 2010, likely be called Office Mobile 7, will be available by the time Windows Mobile 7 hits RTM in Spring 2010, according to a slide from last month (pictured above) that was discovered by msftkitchen. Interestingly, the new version will supposedly sport a SharePoint Mobile, though the slide doesn't mention an Outlook Mobile. The most recent version of Microsoft Office for Mobile was released in September 2007 as part of Office 2007 (though it was dubbed Office Mobile 6.1) and included Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, OneNote Mobile, and Outlook Mobile.

　　Office Mobile is a simplified version of Microsoft Office for Windows Mobile devices. Redmond has made sure to tout this as a huge selling point for Windows Mobile, though that exclusivity went away in August 2009 when Microsoft and Nokia announced they would be bringing Office Communicator Mobile, Office Mobile, SharePoint Server, and System Center to Symbian.

　　It makes sense for Microsoft to have Office Mobile 7 released at the same time as Windows Mobile 7. The Spring 2010 timeframe is in line with what we've heard before: Microsoft has been saying "first half of next year" for the RTM of Microsoft Office 2010 for a while and there is also a rumor saying Windows Mobile 7 will RTM in April 2010, which falls neatly into the middle of spring (March to May). Even so, one must remember that the RTM milestone isn't everything; what really matters is when consumers can get their hands on the first devices with the software. The time gap between the former and the latter is what Microsoft is trying to cut down with the next release of Windows Mobile.

　　That same rumor claims Windows Mobile 7.0 will get put into testers hands next month (possibly at PDC09, though Microsoft is denying anything but Windows Mobile 6.5 will be showcased). For that to be true, Windows Mobile 7.0 would have to be in some beta form by now, which yet another rumor seems to suggest.

　　Microsoft is clearly trying to keep the lid on any news of Windows Mobile 7 for as long as possible. The reason is simple: Windows Mobile 6.5 devices started trickling out just last week. While version 6.5 is clearly a stepping stone for 7.0, Microsoft still needs 6.5 devices to sell. Rumors will continue to circulate on the release of Windows Mobile 7.0, becoming more specific and more verifiable, but Redmond will still make sure to delay official confirmation until it is absolutely ready.