Microsoft releases Office 2016 and Skype for Business previews

Microsoft has reportedly launched a preview of its Office 2016 which is meant to target IT professionals and developers.

However, Microsoft's Kirk Koenigsbauer said that the preview only offered a close look at what's coming alongside monthly updates, adding that the build does not yet contain all the features that the company is planning to ship in the final product later this year, reported The Verge.

Microsoft's upcoming Office client would offer improved search, storage footprint, and email delivery performance, alongside some improvements to image insertion in Word 2016 and Excel 2016.

The report said that the company would not touch add-ins or macro abilities in Office 2016, leaving things the same way for existing documents.

Along with the Office 2016 preview, Microsoft is also launching test version of Skype for Business which would be a replacement for Lync, Microsoft's primary communications tool for businesses.

The business version looks very similar to the consumer version of Skype, with the ability to integrate closely into various Office apps. A final version of Skype for Business is expected to be available in April.