Good news, Office for Mac users: Microsoft has just released the first public preview for its upcoming Office 2016 suite. Of course, opting into the preview is free, and installing it will not replace a current install of Office 2011.

In recent months, Microsoft has rolled-out updated versions of OneNote and Outlook, per ZDNET's Mary Jo Foley, while this preview brings the rest of the apps -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint -- up to speed.

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Similar to how it's handling its Windows 10 preview, Microsoft will be making regular updates to its Office 2016 preview, and from the date of a build's publishing, it'll be good for 60 days. Once the final build rolls out, Microsoft will be giving users a 30 day grace period, during which they can choose to purchase the suite (it is included in Office 365), or drop back down to their previous install.

It's expected that Office 2016 will launch this summer, and it's even expected that it'll launch well before the Windows variant -- something that's likely caused by the fact that there are unannounced additions to be made to that version.

The biggest features to expect from the preview include an overhauled ribbon, improved support for high-resolution displays, and of course, cloud support for Microsoft's OneDrive.


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