Office 2000 shipping next month
Microsoft says it has completed development of its Office 2000 business application suite, and expects to begin shipping the software next month.
Office 2000, the latest generation of widely used business programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access, will be available to large corporate customers in April and is scheduled to be in retail outlets June 10, Microsoft said.
As previously reported, Microsoft had pushed back the release date for Office 2000, and recently told investors that the company would not be able to realize revenues associated with the upcoming product for this quarter's earnings. The company will defer $400 million in revenue because of the Office 2000 delay.
Microsoft also said four companies, Lockheed Martin Electronics and Missiles, the University of Texas, J.D. Edwards, and Turner Broadcasting Sales, have announced plans to deploy Office 2000.
Office 2000 Premium is priced at $399 for Microsoft Office upgrades and other qualifying Microsoft desktop applications, and $449 for non-Microsoft suites or desktop applications. For new users, Office 2000 Premium will be priced at $799.
Office 2000 Professional is priced at $309 for version upgrades, $349 for non-Microsoft upgrades, and $599 for new users.
Reuters contributed to this story.