Microsoft launches Office 2016 and Skype for Business previews
A leaked version of Office 2016 gave us an early look at a new colorful theme early today, and now Microsoft is ready to let anyone test its upcoming Office client. Starting today, the software maker is launching …
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft first committed to a next-generation Office in January's announcement targeting a second-half 2015 release, and today's preview opening is the first step where outside testers get hands-on access — including to a reworked colorful theme that had already leaked earlier in the day. The same preview wave covers Skype for Business, pulling Microsoft's enterprise messaging client into the same test cycle as the Office suite.
The cadence matters: after this initial preview comes a broader public preview for Windows desktops two months later, then a Mac version reaching Office 365 subscribers before the September worldwide launch. The arc shows Microsoft running Office 2016 as a rolling, feedback-driven build rather than a sealed ship.
First-order effects
- Anyone can now install and test the upcoming Office 2016 client and Skype for Business, giving Microsoft direct feedback on the new theme and client features months before general availability.
- Skype for Business enters public testing alongside Office, tying its rollout schedule to the same second-half 2015 window announced for the suite.
Second-order effects
- The preview pipeline feeds directly into what ships: the September release lands with real-time co-authoring, Cortana integration, and improved search — features validated through the open test cycle rather than held back until launch day.
- Office 365 subscribers get an early-availability advantage, as the Mac version exits preview for them first while one-time-purchase buyers wait for September — reinforcing the subscription tier as the fast lane.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, major Office releases become iterative preview-first programs shaped by subscriber usage, with the subscription base receiving features continuously instead of waiting for boxed milestones.
- Bundling Skype for Business into the same client and cycle points toward communications converging into the Office platform itself, tested and delivered as one product surface.
The trend: Microsoft is converting flagship Office releases into open, subscription-paced preview programs where collaboration and communications features ship through continuous testing rather than discrete product drops.