Internet Explorer 10, Office 15 Due Dates Leaked

A leaked Microsoft production schedule, or "roadmap", has revealed to the public some approximate release dates for a number of the company's most anticipated new products.

The roadmap appears to have been published late last year, and lays out when consumers can expect to see updated versions of Office, Internet Explorer, and Windows Phone software released.

According to reports, the roadmap was leaked earlier this week through Microsoft's own publicly accessible Microsoft Partner Network.

MeeTroo chief executive officer Maarten Visser is reported to have sent it out via Twitter, although it's not yet known if he was responsible for the leak.

IE10 by Mid-Year, Roadmap Indicates

The roadmap includes two separate images. The first shows Internet Explorer 10 (IE10), Microsoft's next version of its popular web browser, becoming available by mid-year.

That's a few months earlier than the anticipated launch date for Microsoft's next operating system (OS), Windows 8, which is expected sometime in the fall of 2012.

Before this leak, industry insiders had been suggesting the release of IE10 would fall in line with the release of the new OS.

Also according to the first roadmap image, Microsoft's popular business software Office 15 won't be released until early next year.

It's expected an announcement on the precise release date will come in October or November, though a beta version could be available as soon as this summer. (Source: pcworld.com)

Windows Phone Release Remains Unclear

Expectations surrounding the next version of the Windows Phone mobile platform are less clear, since the roadmap indicates only that "future investments" will become visible in late 2012.

Some experts speculate this suggests Windows Phone 8 will ship at about that time. Given that Microsoft has indicated it would release a new build of Windows Phone before the end of 2012, many believe the leaked roadmap is accurate.

Other experts point out the roadmap was leaked rather than officially released by Microsoft, so there's little reason to believe the indicated release schedule is set in stone.

To emphasize this point, Microsoft made the following statement shortly after the leaked roadmap spread across the web:

"We often provide forward-looking information to our partners and customers under our confidentially agreements with them. This information contains our best estimates and is, in no way, final or definitive." (Source: slashgear.com)