Is this the first sighting of Office 2016 Touch for Windows 10?

Office 2016 for Touch looks promising
Office 2016 for Touch looks promising

A video of Microsoft's recently-announced-but-yet-to-be-launched Office 2016 Touch (or Office for Windows 10) has surfaced.

Uncovered by Winbeta, the 12-minute clip shows the author interacting with the four components of Office Touch, as it is likely to be known when released. They include Word Preview, PowerPoint Preview, Excel Preview and OneNote -- but no Outlook.

Calling it a preview is likely to indicate that the applications are cut-down versions of their full-fledged cousins. The build filmed is certainly not representative of the final version.

Rough and ready

Described as "a little rough around the edges" and lacking some features, this build of Office Touch gives a good indication of what lies ahead.

It works on all Windows 10 form factors including high-end desktops and entry-level smartphones which leaves us to believe that it will be available at launch for ARM and x86 architectures.

Its apps have been designed to work on a wide range of resolutions, screen sizes and screen ratios. Like Microsoft's Office Online Apps, they save to the cloud by default while keeping a local copy, which means you will need to have a Microsoft account as well.

Desire Athow
Managing Editor, TechRadar Pro

Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.