Uh oh. Looks like Microsoft will be delaying 2007 Microsoft Office system (I still can’t believe that name change, is e.e. cummings working for Microsoft now?) until “early 2007.” In March the announcement of the delays of Vista and Office met with howls of derision and urgings of calm, especially given the confusing language of that announcement. Now it looks like we’ve got more of the same.

"Based on internal testing and the beta 2 feedback around product performance, we are revising our development schedule to deliver the 2007 system release by the end of year 2006, with broad general availability in early 2007," a Microsoft representative said in an e-mail. "Feedback on quality and performance will ultimately determine the exact dates."

While this announced delay is a shorter time frame, I wonder how it will impact dual release plans with Vista, or are we looking at another Vista delay announcement coming down the pike. Or maybe, just maybe, Microsoft is convening a new focus group to test out some more new names.

Via CNet