Microsoft to remove PDF and XPS support from Office 2007

At the same time, Microsoft said, it intends to remove direct support for its own XPS portable format, in an effort to avoid the appearance of self-favoritism.

"We have taken a number of significant steps to accommodate Adobe, and offered many proposals in an effort to avoid a dispute," writes Microsoft spokesperson Stacy Drake, "but we have now reached a point where we feel what they are asking for is not in the best interest of our customers."

The capabilities for saving Office documents in both portable formats, according to Drake, will now only be made available as separate, optional downloads.