First details of Office 2007 for Mac. All new UI.

MacBytes · Sep 17, 2006, 10:15 PM

Category: 3rd Party Software
Link: First details of Office 2007 for Mac. All new UI.
Description:: Office 2007 for Mac will have an all-new UI that borrows from the "Ribbon" concept in Office 2007 for Windows, along with XML file formats and of course Universal Binary codebase. The bad news? It's not due for another year.

Posted on MacBytes.com
Approved by Mudbug

AvSRoCkCO1067 · Sep 17, 2006, 10:30 PM

This is huge - shouldn't it be posted on the front page?

dreamsINdigital · Sep 17, 2006, 10:47 PM

Well nice to know that it is being worked on.

sushi · 12:56 PM

IMHO, Office 97 for Windows and Office 98 for the Mac was the best combo. Menus were identical. Simple to go back and forth between the two.

I hope that Office 2007 for Mac and Windows shares this commonality. It makes it so much easier to use, and makes it more platform independent.

clayj · Sep 17, 2006, 10:56 PM

I still don't think the Mac version of Office will be called "Office 2007". It causes too much confusion for the support folks. It's more likely that it'll be called "Office 2008" on the Mac, particularly since it'll almost be 2008 when it's released.

projectle · Sep 17, 2006, 11:25 PM

Remember, Microsoft committed to the Office 2007 name while Office 12 was still to ship in September 2006.
Most of their stuff was named for the next year so that it did not seem "outdated" by the time it gets pushed out the door. That is why Microsoft changed their naming structure to XP and Vista because the marketing team and bankers took the lead to make sure that the next Windows 2000 would not seem so last century.

EricNau · Sep 17, 2006, 11:28 PM

This is good news.

jessica. · Sep 17, 2006, 11:29 PM

Wow this is nice! But...I want it now, not 2009 when it is really going to come out.
In the end, it is MS...remember vista? Yeah me neither.

bluebomberman · Sep 17, 2006, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvSRoCkCO1067

This is huge - shouldn't it be posted on the front page?

I don't expect it to hit the front page until more concrete details emerge (like screenshots, for instance...). It's just too far away from hitting the shelves...

Zadillo · Sep 17, 2006, 11:56 PM

Definitely good news. I've actually been enjoying the Office 2007 beta for Windows, so it will be nice if some of the ideas in it to make their way to the OS X version of Office.

stevehp · Sep 17, 2006, 11:56 PM

I have the Beta for Windows that Microsoft put out on their site. I think it's awful.

swingerofbirch · Sep 18, 2006, 12:10 AM

It makes sense in some ways that Apple hasn't told Microsoft what the UI of Leopard will be, but in other ways, as one of the largest Apple developers, it seems a bit snarky to keep them in the dark. It also seems it will delay their development of Office, as they don't want to put out a product that doesn't play nicely with Leopard's UI.

mtoddy · Sep 18, 2006, 12:22 AM

i just want better exchange support in entourage

mcarnes · Sep 18, 2006, 01:03 AM

3rd Q 2007! You've got to be kidding me. Lazy MS bums.

x86isslow · Sep 18, 2006, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcarnes

3rd Q 2007! You've got to be kidding me. Lazy MS bums.

I think it has to do more with having to make sure its compatible with the Windows version. That's why it ships staggered a few months after Office for Windows.

sierra oscar · Sep 18, 2006, 01:15 AM

I think the latter part of 2007 will be too late - I for one, will probably give up and find another word app in the meantime if my productivity is suffering via Rosetta. I will switch from the MS Office suite of apps indefinitely if Apple come out with something comparable before then. (currently I've no alternative, I need to use Word with Endnote - nothing else does this yet).

Superdrive · Sep 18, 2006, 01:21 AM

Hopefully MS will not screw anything up this time around. I think the refinements made from Office v.X to Office 2004 were nice touches. With an all new UI (which is not required by any means, because it probably won't get simplified) there is a huge opportunity to cause trouble. I look forward to speed and, hopefully, simplicity.

dmelgar · Sep 18, 2006, 01:21 AM

I keep wondering when OpenOffice / Neooffice will be good enough to that people won't have to stay in the Microsoft trap. I only use Office because I have to, I certainly don't want to. If the compatability problems with OpenOffice were resolved I'd stick with that. I do have some peeves about OpenOffice. I use the outline view in Word all the time and its missing from OpenOffice.

If Microsoft knew how to develop software they could/should have been developing the Mac version in parallel to the Windows version, not afterwards. Thereby making a simultaneous announce. But it seems that MS has forgotten how to write software. Given how many years its taken to write Vista. Helps Apple though.

mdntcallr · Sep 18, 2006, 01:26 AM

This is good news. We need a new and full quality version of Office.
There are major issues though...
We need it to Have in the Macintosh Version of office:
All of the new features and abilities of Windows Version
Be able to communicate in a workgroup.
Upgrade version of Entourage to Match more of the address book functions and more of Outlook. it's kinda weird looking
Get more integrated support of some of of the files and data, to be fully actionable by Mac OS 10.5
Also, give full MSN messenger, and WMA Video files.

we need full compatibility, not handicapped!

Multimedia · Sep 18, 2006, 01:29 AM

I guess Vista is more important than Mac Office. Can't believe it will take another year to make it UB. Only monkeys at work there?

Abstract · Sep 18, 2006, 01:44 AM

^^Well it is a big change for such a big application, and the Mac BU is quite good at what they do and is solely dedicated to Macs. Also, there aren't a lot of people who work there, and they likely do what they can.

And just be glad that the Mac version of Office is always better than the version for Microsoft.

That just shows you that the people at the MacBU wants the version on Apple to be good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swingerofbirch

It makes sense in some ways that Apple hasn't told Microsoft what the UI of Leopard will be.....

Of course they Microsoft knows most of the details. They probably got a version at WWDC like other developers.

They don't know all the cool features, but they know enough to continue to develop for it, much like every other software company. And besides, the other features offered by Apple in Leopard probably aren't relevent to what's offered in Office.

p0intblank · Sep 18, 2006, 01:48 AM

This is great news, but why is Microsoft so freakin' slow with everything they do?

yoda13 · Sep 18, 2006, 01:50 AM

This does not surprise me at all...I figured it would take a while...not this long...but I am still not surprised...

IJ Reilly · Sep 18, 2006, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by p0intblank

This is great news, but why is Microsoft so freakin' slow with everything they do?

Why should they hurry? Does anyone really expect Microsoft to be prompt or good?

GreatDrok · Sep 18, 2006, 02:14 AM

Office:mac does not follow the Apple user interface guidelines, why should MS care what the Leopard UI is going to be like?

It is also buggy and cannot reliably share files with the Windows version with terrible examples such as pasting an Excel chart or an image into Powerpoint which looks fine on the Mac but is either distorted or completely absent on PC.

In Word I am very careful to use styles and still page layout isn't reliable between platforms. To reliably share documents the only choice is OpenOffice/NeoOffice.

If MS knew the first thing about portable file formats they wouldn't have to spend forever testing the file compatibility. Most new Mac users I have converted are pretty happy with NeoOffice Aqua because it looks good, is native code, actually looks more like Office on the PC than Office:mac and has enough compatibility to MS Office without the pricetag.

Sep 17, 2006, 10:15 PM	#1
MacBytes macrumors bot Join Date: Jul 2003	First details of Office 2007 for Mac. All new UI. Category: 3rd Party Software Link: First details of Office 2007 for Mac. All new UI. Description:: Office 2007 for Mac will have an all-new UI that borrows from the "Ribbon" concept in Office 2007 for Windows, along with XML file formats and of course Universal Binary codebase. The bad news? It's not due for another year. Posted on MacBytes.com Approved by Mudbug

Sep 17, 2006, 10:50 PM	#4
sushi macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Kanagawa-Ken	IMHO, Office 97 for Windows and Office 98 for the Mac was the best combo. Menus were identical. Simple to go back and forth between the two. I hope that Office 2007 for Mac and Windows shares this commonality. It makes it so much easier to use, and makes it more platform independent. Last edited by Doctor Q : Sep 18, 2006 at 12:56 PM. Reason: no need to quote entire first post

Sep 17, 2006, 10:56 PM	#5
clayj macrumors 601 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: 1123,6536,5321	I still don't think the Mac version of Office will be called "Office 2007". It causes too much confusion for the support folks. It's more likely that it'll be called "Office 2008" on the Mac, particularly since it'll almost be 2008 when it's released. __________________ mba guru mac pro 2.8 ghz 8 core 14 gb ram 4 tb hd 30" acd \| macbook air 1.8 ghz 64 gb ssd \| mac minis 2.0 ghz c2d 1.66 ghz cd \| iphone 3G \| ipods x4

Sep 17, 2006, 11:29 PM	#8
jessica. macrumors Demi-Goddess Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: NC	Wow this is nice! But...I want it now, not 2009 when it is really going to come out. In the end, it is MS...remember vista? Yeah me neither. __________________ persona non grata

Sep 17, 2006, 11:56 PM	#11
stevehp macrumors 6502 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: It's not a house, it's a home.	I have the Beta for Windows that Microsoft put out on their site. I think it's awful. __________________ 5.5G/80GB/White iPod 15" Unibody MBP/2.66GHZ/320GB HD/4GB RAM 24" Apple LED Cinema Display 32GB iPhone 3G S

Sep 17, 2006, 10:30 PM	#2
AvSRoCkCO1067 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: CO	This is huge - shouldn't it be posted on the front page?

Sep 17, 2006, 10:47 PM	#3
dreamsINdigital macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2006	Well nice to know that it is being worked on.

Sep 17, 2006, 11:25 PM	#6
projectle macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2005	Remember, Microsoft committed to the Office 2007 name while Office 12 was still to ship in September 2006. Most of their stuff was named for the next year so that it did not seem "outdated" by the time it gets pushed out the door. That is why Microsoft changed their naming structure to XP and Vista because the marketing team and bankers took the lead to make sure that the next Windows 2000 would not seem so last century.

Sep 17, 2006, 11:28 PM	#7
EricNau macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sacramento, CA	This is good news.

Sep 17, 2006, 11:56 PM	#10
Zadillo macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jan 2005	Definitely good news. I've actually been enjoying the Office 2007 beta for Windows, so it will be nice if some of the ideas in it to make their way to the OS X version of Office.

Sep 18, 2006, 12:10 AM	#12
swingerofbirch macrumors 68000 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: The Amalgamated States of Central North America	It makes sense in some ways that Apple hasn't told Microsoft what the UI of Leopard will be, but in other ways, as one of the largest Apple developers, it seems a bit snarky to keep them in the dark. It also seems it will delay their development of Office, as they don't want to put out a product that doesn't play nicely with Leopard's UI. __________________ Blog of Failure After using a PC all day, coming home to my Mac is like a tall, cold glass of peach iced tea.

Sep 18, 2006, 12:22 AM	#13
mtoddy macrumors newbie Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Ohio	i just want better exchange support in entourage

Sep 18, 2006, 01:03 AM	#14
mcarnes macrumors 68000 Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: USA! USA!	3rd Q 2007! You've got to be kidding me. Lazy MS bums.

Sep 18, 2006, 01:15 AM	#16
sierra oscar macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: South Australia, Australia	I think the latter part of 2007 will be too late - I for one, will probably give up and find another word app in the meantime if my productivity is suffering via Rosetta. I will switch from the MS Office suite of apps indefinitely if Apple come out with something comparable before then. (currently I've no alternative, I need to use Word with Endnote - nothing else does this yet).

Sep 18, 2006, 01:21 AM	#17
Superdrive macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Minneapolis, MN	Hopefully MS will not screw anything up this time around. I think the refinements made from Office v.X to Office 2004 were nice touches. With an all new UI (which is not required by any means, because it probably won't get simplified) there is a huge opportunity to cause trouble. I look forward to speed and, hopefully, simplicity.

Sep 18, 2006, 01:21 AM	#18
dmelgar macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2005	I keep wondering when OpenOffice / Neooffice will be good enough to that people won't have to stay in the Microsoft trap. I only use Office because I have to, I certainly don't want to. If the compatability problems with OpenOffice were resolved I'd stick with that. I do have some peeves about OpenOffice. I use the outline view in Word all the time and its missing from OpenOffice. If Microsoft knew how to develop software they could/should have been developing the Mac version in parallel to the Windows version, not afterwards. Thereby making a simultaneous announce. But it seems that MS has forgotten how to write software. Given how many years its taken to write Vista. Helps Apple though.

Sep 18, 2006, 01:26 AM	#19
mdntcallr macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Los Angeles, CA	This is good news. We need a new and full quality version of Office. There are major issues though... We need it to Have in the Macintosh Version of office: All of the new features and abilities of Windows Version Be able to communicate in a workgroup. Upgrade version of Entourage to Match more of the address book functions and more of Outlook. it's kinda weird looking Get more integrated support of some of of the files and data, to be fully actionable by Mac OS 10.5 Also, give full MSN messenger, and WMA Video files. we need full compatibility, not handicapped! __________________ "Bite my Shiny Metal Ass!" Bender (Futurama)

Sep 18, 2006, 01:29 AM	#20
Multimedia Banned Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Santa Cruz CA, Silicon Beach	Talk About Slow Pokes I guess Vista is more important than Mac Office. Can't believe it will take another year to make it UB. Only monkeys at work there?

Sep 18, 2006, 01:48 AM	#22
p0intblank macrumors 68020 Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Jersey, USA	This is great news, but why is Microsoft so freakin' slow with everything they do?

Sep 18, 2006, 01:50 AM	#23
yoda13 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Texas	This does not surprise me at all...I figured it would take a while...not this long...but I am still not surprised... __________________ For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire.

Sep 18, 2006, 02:14 AM	#25
GreatDrok macrumors regular Join Date: May 2006 Location: New Zealand	Office is nasty Office:mac does not follow the Apple user interface guidelines, why should MS care what the Leopard UI is going to be like? It is also buggy and cannot reliably share files with the Windows version with terrible examples such as pasting an Excel chart or an image into Powerpoint which looks fine on the Mac but is either distorted or completely absent on PC. In Word I am very careful to use styles and still page layout isn't reliable between platforms. To reliably share documents the only choice is OpenOffice/NeoOffice. If MS knew the first thing about portable file formats they wouldn't have to spend forever testing the file compatibility. Most new Mac users I have converted are pretty happy with NeoOffice Aqua because it looks good, is native code, actually looks more like Office on the PC than Office:mac and has enough compatibility to MS Office without the pricetag. __________________ iBook G4 12" 1.2Ghz 1.1GB 30GB HD iBook G4 14" 933Mhz 640MB 60GB HD + 600GB FW HD MacBook Pro 15" 2.0Ghz 2GB 320GB HD 20" ACD

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