As widely anticipated, Microsoft has started rolling out the public beta of its Office 2010 suite this week.On November 16, Microsoft produced the beta code on the market to subscribers to its MSDN and TechNet services. Microsoft is anticipated to open up the beta, to ensure that everyone who;d like to try it could download it — possibly this week (though Microsoft officials refused to confirm that when I asked them today).Microsoft also has made the 64-bit Beta version of Office Web Apps — its Web-centric versions of Word, Excel,
Office 2010 Home And Business, PowerPoint and OneNote — obtainable for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers today. (No word yet if/when the 32-bit version of Office Web Apps will appear on MSDN/TechNet). The public also is expected to get the refreshed Office Web Apps bits,
Windows 7 Professional Product Key, possibly this week. Again, Microsoft officials won;t confirm the public availability date, beyond saying it will be “in November.”Microsoft has set up a download page from which the public will be able to download the Beta bits. On that page, Microsoft lists as the versions it will make accessible the Office Home and Business 2010; Workplace Professional 2010 and Workplace Professional Plus 2010 versions of the product.Among the noticeable changes between the beta and the Community Technology Preview (CTP) build of Workplace 2010 that Microsoft released this summer are the new installation procedures for the beta build, a new Upload Center,
Office 2007 Download, modifications to the Backstage view; and new icons for all the Workplace products that are part of the suite,
Office Professional Plus 2010 Key, according to a post around the Redmond Pie blog.Last week,
Office 2010 Home And Business Key, a build of Workplace 2010 build that was marked “Beta 2″ leaked to the Web. That build was number 14.0.4514.1009. Microsoft officials told me that the leaked build was not the same one as would be released later this month.Many Microsoft watchers are expecting the company to make the public beta bits obtainable on November 18, as that is the day that one of Microsoft;s Office big-wigs, Senior Vice President Kurt DelBene, is keynoting the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles. Given that Microsoft often releases bits to MSDN and TechNet subscribers anywhere from a couple of days to a week-plus before it makes them offered to the public, I wouldn;t be surprised to see the public Office 2010 and Workplace Web Apps Beta 2s to go live this week.Microsoft is anticipated to launch the final version of Workplace 2010 client, Workplace Web Apps and SharePoint Server 2010 in May/June 2010.I;d like to hear what folks think of the Beta once they;ve had a chance to download and attempt out the client and Office Web Apps versions both. What is new and different?