Microsoft announces Office 2019, teases new features

As part of its Ignite conference today, Microsoft officially teased the next perpetual Office update, Office 2019.

Microsoft has announced Office 2019, the next perpetual Office update and the follow-up to the most recent release, Office 2016. Due for release in the second half of 2018, Microsoft says that preview versions of the latest Office suite will start rolling out in mid-2018, though it's unclear when exactly an Android version might be released.

Other than an announcement, Microsoft is fairly coy with what to expect. However, the company did tease certain improvements and features we can expect, including enhanced inking, new PowerPoint animations, and more. From Microsoft:

Office 2019 will add new user and IT capabilities for customers who aren't yet ready for the cloud. For example, new and improved inking features—like pressure sensitivity, tilt effects, and ink replay—will allow you to work more naturally. New formulas and charts will make data analysis for Excel more powerful. Visual animation features—like Morph and Zoom—will add polish to PowerPoint presentations. Server enhancements will include updates to IT manageability, usability, voice, and security.

It's definitely interesting to see another perpetual license version of Office on deck for release, particularly as Microsoft has put more and more emphasis on its Office 365 service in recent years. "Office 2019 will be a valuable upgrade for customers who feel that they need to keep some or all of their apps and servers on-premises," Microsoft says. We should learn much more about Office 2019 and what's new in the coming months as we move towards a preview release.