Microsoft Office Release Date Bumped

Microsoft has bumped the release date of its Office software suite for its large business customers from October to the end of 2006, due to “product performance” issues and “internal testing and beta 2 feedback,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

Small business customers and other users are scheduled to receive the suite in early 2007, instead of the previously scheduled release date of January 2007, but Microsoft says its large business users will get the software before the end of the year, according to the Journal.

Microsoft already released a number of beta, or test, versions of the software for techies to download and run on their machines.

“Feedback on quality and performance will ultimately determine the exact [release] dates,” Microsoft said in a statement, according to the Journal.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft’s Office includes its widely used Word, Outlook and Excel programs, and the bulk of Microsoft’s profits are a product of the software suite.

Microsoft’s much-anticipated release of the Windows Vista operating system has been bumped on numerous occasions, and it’s now slated for release in early 2007, just missing the holiday season.

This article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in.

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