Beta testers for Microsoft may see the first release of Office 12 in as little as a few weeks, says MS. With a complete revamp of the UI, help system, functions and support, requirements and many other components, betas are very important for user feedback and bug finding. In as little as three weeks, testers and MS partners will get a chance to try it out and see what the new (very pretty) Office 12 is capable of.
"... These changes include a sweeping revamp of the program's user interface, improvements in business intelligence, enhanced collaboration and improved individual productivity, it has said. In addition to the core desktop product, a variety of server-based capabilities are in the works, though Microsoft has been fuzzy on the details."
Office 12 is set to be in-line with Vista, though will have support for existing operating systems as well. This is the biggest revamp of the MS Office Suite since the release of Office 97, so this is definitely interesting for those on the list.