Office 2007 (Office 12) is just available and Microsoft is already releasing some details about the next version, which will be codenamed Office 14. Just like many other companies Microsoft wants to prevent bad luck by skipping the "13th" version.
As stated, the codename for the upcoming release of Office, currently slated for a 2009/2010 release timeframe, is Office “14.” Extending on the mention of superstition in the description of this article, in response to a comment regarding “Office 13” in a TechNet radio chat in December of 2006, Eric Vigesaa, Program Manager for Office system client applications, stated “[w]ell, 13 is unlucky, so we’re calling it Office 14,” so the next time someone wants to question Microsoft’s belief in superstition, one need not question any further. Naturally, with the beginning of a project comes planning… and in the world Microsoft lives in, it takes money to make the planning come alive; LOTS of it, so just how much is Microsoft committing to spend on Office “14?” ~20% MORE in R&D funding than Office “12” with total R&D expenditure expected to be around $930 million PER YEAR!
Learn more about Office 14 at AeroXP. Office 14 is expected by 2009 or 2010.