However, Microsoft has indicated that it intends to be bold with this new version of the suite, which will be called Office 2013, according to people familiar with the plans.

When it announced a limited "Technology Preview" of the new version in January, under the code-name Office 15, Microsoft said the upgrade would evolve not only the suite's productivity applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but also Office 365 and the on-premise versions of collaboration and communications products like Exchange, Lync and SharePoint. The refresh would extend not only to PC interfaces, but also to tablets and smartphones.

Above all, Microsoft must emphasize ease of use and avoid the shock many long-time users got when Office 2010 came out and they found that the placement of menus and commands had been significantly altered.

"In the last version of Office, Microsoft swapped the gas pedal and the break pedal," said analyst Rebecca Wettemann of Nucleus Research.

It now has an opportunity to organize the suite's myriad functions in the user interface in a way that is friendlier to users.