AdWords Editor quietly launched as an invitation-only beta desktop application

Google began a limited beta of AdWords Editor, a downloadable application for navigating an account and making changes in bulk. Participation was capped to manage system load, with invitations going to advertisers who had opted into market research.

Google's February 1, 2006 post describes the beta as having launched quietly the previous week; the exact launch day is not stated, so the timeline's January 24 date is retained.