Office in the web: Here comes Microsoft Gazelle

Google’s announcement on the Chrome OS is significant and yet very timely is very curious. “Curious” because on Monday, the 13th July 2009, Microsoft is set to unveil its plans to counter the attack Google previously had launched on it with Google Docs at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans.
Microsoft Office is “going” to the cloud. The new version of Office, syncs with the cloud, and has the ability to use the cloud without any software.
Earlier, Microsoft was rumored to have a top secret project which was code-named “Gazelle.” Microsoft would run the “new project” in browsers beyond just IE.
So yes, it looks like the Office Web that was first talked about at PDC last year.
And it’s possible that Microsoft could unveil that this new web-based Office will reside on the great domain, Office.com. That site is clearly going through a transition to new ownership right now, and that would make a lot of sense.
Office is obviously the 900-pound gorilla that Google is attempting to slay with Google Docs, but a 900-pound gorilla with a matching web offering will be a lot tougher. And that’s likely why Google wanted to get its own uppercut in first this week. And it’s a strong one. But now Microsoft is going to have to come up with some answers to how it can counter Chrome OS, rather than focus on talking about the new Office.