Microsoft Korea Inc. launched its latest suite of programs for word processing and emails for corporate use on Tuesday.

New Office for home use will most likely be launched in the first quarter of 2013, two Microsoft officials told The Korea Herald.

“I think nearly all the functions in New Office are new in the market,” Microsoft Korea marketing director Kang Hee-sun said, claiming that now is a significant transition period for software and devices.

The Korean operation of U.S. software titan Microsoft described New Office as a new type of office platform that embraces four new demand trends: use of multiple devices, convenient cloud service, instant social networking and strict security control.

In addition to the traditional mouse, the new office software also operates on touch-screen and with stylus pens, just like tablet PCs, the company said.

New Office works on a cloud-based storage system, where users can save, export and share files through Skype regardless of which devices are being used, as long as they log in to the same account. High definition video conference and business collaboration are other highlights of the new office software, the company said.

New Office is compatible with most devices including personal computers, laptops, table PCs and smartphones, the company said.

New Office operates on Windows 7 and Windows 8 but is not compatible with Windows XP, the software titan said.

“Generally we expect to have about 20-30 percent of our previous users transfer (to the latest product) in the first year, about 60 percent in the second, and so on,” Kang said.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)