Microsoft releases Office 2016: Better collaboration and a host of new cross-platform features

From seamlessly working on collaborative documents to unprecedented support for Mac, the new Office 2016 is out to draw users away from Google’s Web tools.

Microsoft’s competition to Google’s web-based document and collaboration tools is now available--Office 2016 for Windows, with its slew of new features aimed a Web-based collaboration is aimed at bringing new document creation and sharing capabilities to both end consumers and businesses.

Much like the model used with Windows 10, Office 2016 will also be utilizing a new method of delivering updates, where these will come in smaller bursts and at more regular intervals. Simultaneously available is Office 2016 for the Mac, which will be sold as a one-time purchase option and not via the subscription model as is with Windows.

Across Office 2016 collaboration is the buzzword, with specific features and offerings that aim to facilitate better cooperation and interchange of information and communication at work or at home. Among the new abilities in the latest iteration of Microsoft’s popular office suite are:

Real-time co-authoring: Extending the real-time nature of their Web apps on to the desktop, users can now see changes being made to documents as they happen in real time within in the native Office apps itself.
Skype for Business: It is now possible to IM, share screens, talk or video chat from directly within the Office client apps. The Skype for Business app is now specially optimized for more fluid screen sharing, while letting users launch into a real-time co-authoring session from an existing conversation or meeting.
Office 365 Groups: Available directly within the new Office 2016 and as a standalone app on iOS is the new Office 365 Groups that enables individuals to quickly create public or private teams. Each group includes a shared inbox, calendar, cloud storage for group files, and a shared OneNote notebook.
The new Outlook 2016 Smart Inbox: Now search faster while lower priority mails are hidden. Also Outlook 2016 provides access to relevant attachments to all people in the ‘To’ field from within Microsoft’s cloud storage platform, OneDrive.
Tell Me and Smart Lookup: Initially available only in Office Online, these two nifty new features are now available across the new Office 2016 client apps. Tell Me helps users locate Office features and commands to flatten the learning curve, while Smart Lookup brings insights from the Web directly into current documents.

Of course the real power of Microsoft’s latest office suite is realized when used in conjunction with Windows 10 including the ability to sign into both your PC and Office 365 by looking into the camera or by swiping your fingerprint instead of typing in a password.

In the pipeline are several features that will be made available in the near term:

Cortana with Office 2016 support: In the coming months, more smarts are being added into Cortana by gathering intelligence on Office 365 through Outlook 2016 support.
Office 365 Planner: Aimed at easing the process of creating tasks, organizing work days, drawing up plans the like, the Office 365 Planner incorporates visual dashboards tied in to email notifications that serve to keep all project members abreast of project status over time. Office 365 Planner will be available in preview to Office 365 First Release customers, starting next quarter.
GigJam: Available in private preview from today, this is a new tool that gives access to tasks and processes by extending them across devices, apps and people. The feature will find its way into regular Office 2016 users subsequently.
OneDrive for Business: Coming later this month, it will include enhancements in synchronization across browsers and mobile devices, with better IT control and developer experiences. Key improvements include the updated sync client for Windows and Mac, bringing improved readability, selective sync and increased file sizes and storage limits.