Along with an update on Windows 8, screenshots of Office 15's Technical Preview have leaked courtesy of a tipster working with The Verge. Although the interface hasn't received a drastic overhaul, Microsoft is clearly trying to clean things up by tweaking default options, such as minimizing the oft-criticized Ribbon menu. The suite also uses a fullscreen "backstage" menu similar to Office 2010's. Outlook 15 has the most visible interface tweaks with a Metro-style navigation at the bottom of the program.
As we've said before, considering Microsoft's emphasis on cross-platform integration and mobile-friendly interfaces, Metro is bound to crop up in the company's latest productivity suite. The Technical Preview is offered to select customers under a non-disclosure agreement, so details are still limited. Office 15 (likely to be marketed as "Office 2013") is expected to hit public beta sometime this summer with a final launch rumored to be scheduled alongside Windows 8 in October or November.
Tags: microsoft, windows, office, windows 8
