Microsoft is expected to launch its next version of Office for Windows and also an Office version for Macs in the second half of 2015 according to online reports. According to ZDNet, Julia White, general manager of marketing for Office and Office 365 said during Microsoft's Tech Ed Europe conference in Barcelona that the next version of Office on Windows would launch in the last half of next year.

It is not clear whether the next version of Office would go through Microsoft's typical testing process, including TAP (Technology Adoption Program) and a beta, with the latter presumably available to the general public.

Microsoft did not reply to a request for confirmation on White's comments.

Just like Office for Windows, the Mac version is expected to integrate Office 365, OneDrive, and SharePoint functionality.

According to these slides, the Office for Mac will have a re-designed interface optimized for retina displays, aligned with the look and feel of Office on Windows.

New features for Outlook will include online archive capabilities, new time, weather forecast in calendar, push mail support and category sync.

OneNote also comes to Mac with high fidelity page viewing and full support of page editing and formatting. According to the slides, Mac users will be able to share their notes with others, easily track changes and who mae which specific change in a shared document. Sync notes will also sync across PC, phones and tablets.

Excel for Mac also seems to get a modernized user interface that organized tools and formatting like Office for Windows. It will feature a Quick Access Toolbar and will support Excel 2013 functions for easier sharing between platforms.

Office for Mac will offer will offer improved features focused on reading, sharing and polishing of documents. Users will be able to hide or reveal paragraphs under their headings with a single click, easily track comments next to relevant paragraphs and also see who replied to whom and when.

And Powerpoint for Mac will support Treaded Comments, allowing users to see and reply to comments in their presentations. It will also feature Ribbon and the Presenter View when presenting on s second screen.