Microsoft has decided to push back the release of its forthcoming Office 2007 productivity suite to January 2007.

The software was initially promised for late 2006, but consumers will now have to wait until next year. The unveiling will coincide with the launch of Windows Vista.

Enterprise customers are slated to receive the application in October through Microsoft's volume licensing programme.

The first disks will be shipped to hardware manufacturers at this time to allow them to test the software for bundling on new systems by January 2007.

Office 2007 is currently in beta and a second beta has been promised before June.

The most visible enhancement to the suite is the new user interface first demonstrated at the Professional Developer Conference last year in Los Angeles.

Menu buttons change according to the task that the user is performing, eliminating the need to access drop down menus when searching for appropriate items.

Microsoft said earlier this week that it was forced to delay the release of Windows Vista until January 2007. Windows chief Jim Allchin said that the company needed a "few more weeks" to increase the suite's quality.

This leaves insufficient time for computer manufacturers to properly test and certify their systems in time for the holiday shopping season.

The decision is expected to deal a severe blow to the hardware industry this Christmas, as consumers are likely to delay buying new systems until the operating system arrives.

Computer makers generated an average 19.6 per cent of their overall sales in the Christmas period last year, according to data from Current Analysis.