Microsoft Announces Mac Office 2008

MacRumors · 06:18 PM

Microsoft announced today Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. While not scheduled to ship until the second half of 2007, the company overviewed some of the major new features.

Office 2008 will share the same graphics engine as Office for Windows, and include Office Art 2.0. Office 2008 will also gain new interface features from Office for Windows 2007 like the Ribbon.

Also mentioned are new Mac-only features such as a Publishing Layout View that will allow Word users to create layout-rich documents (newsletters, fliers, and brochures), Ledger Sheets in Excel, and "My Day" priority tracking in Entourage.

Office 2008 will use Microsoft's new Open XML format, and Microsoft has pledged to provide beta file format converters for users of Office 2004 by Spring 2008. Also, Office 2008 will be the first version of Office to be a Universal Binary.

Microsft has not yet released pricing information, however current versions range from $149 for the Student and Teacher Edition to $399 for the Standard Edition (Professional Edition is likely to be discontinued with the next version of Office since Microsoft's decision to stop developing VirtualPC for Mac).

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Machead III · Jan 9, 2007, 06:02 PM

2nd half 2007? That's still before the majority of the planet get's the iPhone.

miketcool · Jan 9, 2007, 06:05 PM

It was about time for them to announce the delayed introduction date of software. Thank goodness Office 2008 for Mac is the only thing Redmond is late on.

buddhagoth · Jan 9, 2007, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macrumors

... and Microsoft has pledged to provide beta file format converters for users of Office 2004 by Spring 2004.

By 2004, eh? That sounds about right for Microsoft Mac product development.

Cordially,
Buddhagoth

willybNL · Jan 9, 2007, 06:07 PM

"Office 2008 will use Microsoft's new Open XML format, and Microsoft has pledged to provide beta file format converters for users of Office 2004 by Spring 2004."

Damn... they are fast... They already go back in time to deliver file format converters...

typo :P

JohnHummel · Jan 9, 2007, 06:07 PM

So does this mean that Entourage will finally have *full* Exchange compatibility - or that crappy, uh, crap that half works right unless you turn on LDAP and Web and other things to get it almost feeling like the OS 9 Outlook 2001 client?

stephenmckeague · Jan 9, 2007, 06:12 PM

Any chance of Access being included in this??

vendettabass · Jan 9, 2007, 06:13 PM

as far as I'm concerned, as long as its UB, its some of the best news today!

kroko · Jan 9, 2007, 06:15 PM

steal it. or use neo.

avkills · Jan 9, 2007, 06:16 PM

Very weak. They should have been announcing AND shipping it today. But then again, maybe the MBU hasn't a clue how to code for x86.

And we certainly do not want the normal M$ code monkeys doing it.

-mark

cal6n · Jan 9, 2007, 06:17 PM

It's a sad, sad day when Micro$oft's Macworld announcement is more exciting than Apple's!

Frisco · Jan 9, 2007, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephenmckeague

Any chance of Access being included in this??

Not a chance.

bousozoku · Jan 9, 2007, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephenmckeague

Any chance of Access being included in this??

No, per the agreement with Apple, made long ago but it should fully support FileMaker still.

amoda · Jan 9, 2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cal6n

It's a sad, sad day when Micro$oft's Macworld announcement is more exciting than Apple's!

umm...you didn't find the iPhone exciting? I soiled my paints after looking at those pictures.

Bengt77 · Jan 9, 2007, 06:23 PM

Darn, right when I was going to write a really witty reply about those file converters, 2004 and some archived news items on the Mac Topia site, I see that at least two people have beaten me to it. Darn you all!

scott523 · Jan 9, 2007, 06:25 PM

This news is an embarrassment to Microsoft. Before they said Office 2007 where everyone saw 2008 on the horizon long before Microsoft announce it today.

cal6n · Jan 9, 2007, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amoda

umm...you didn't find the iPhone exciting? I soiled my paints after looking at those pictures.

I was excited initially but:

Vapourware until Q4 over here
Only 8 Gig?
Err, that's all

Actually the phone is pretty cool and I do want one but that's way in the future...

but then, so is office 2008...

whatever...

Object-X · Jan 9, 2007, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephenmckeague

Any chance of Access being included in this??

No chance. Forget about it; there is no way they are going to convert that ancient engine for the Mac. They can't even get Word and Excel out the door. Use Parallels or try FileMaker.

NewSc2 · Jan 9, 2007, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cal6n

I was excited initially but:

Vapourware until Q4 over here
Only 8 Gig?
Err, that's all

Actually the phone is pretty cool and I do want one but that's way in the future...

but then, so is office 2008...

whatever...

There's a difference between "Vaporware" and being available in another country (U.S.), with actual shipping dates for the rest of the world. I'm with you on the 8gig, but the iPhone is a momentous new product that will change iPods, PDAs, and cell phones. Office 2008 is just an update.

Mitthrawnuruodo · Jan 9, 2007, 06:33 PM

I just have to say: Sorry MS, I've found a nice and free alternative which even has announced OpenXML Documents and VBA Macros support already in Q1 2007.

Maxwell Smart · Jan 9, 2007, 06:38 PM

Finally, I can't wait for some Office universal....

Spanky Deluxe · Jan 9, 2007, 06:42 PM

For once I've found a Microsoft announcement more important to me than the Apple one!!

themacthinker · 06:59 PM

I would say that this is a good news. I don't know if we can trust that Microsoft redesign of office will follow the mac graphic guidelines and efficiency but let's keep our fingers crossed.

Porchland · Jan 9, 2007, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnHummel

So does this mean that Entourage will finally have *full* Exchange compatibility - or that crappy, uh, crap that half works right unless you turn on LDAP and Web and other things to get it almost feeling like the OS 9 Outlook 2001 client?

Poor integration with Exchange is one of the two reasons I don't use my Mac as my primary work computer, so I would really like to see this improved.

The other: WordPerfect (which I ABHOR having to use).

jacg · Jan 9, 2007, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buddhagoth

By 2004, eh? That sounds about right for Microsoft Mac product development.

I think they meant 3004

Jan 9, 2007, 06:01 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Microsoft Announces Mac Office 2008 Microsoft announced today Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. While not scheduled to ship until the second half of 2007, the company overviewed some of the major new features. Office 2008 will share the same graphics engine as Office for Windows, and include Office Art 2.0. Office 2008 will also gain new interface features from Office for Windows 2007 like the Ribbon. Also mentioned are new Mac-only features such as a Publishing Layout View that will allow Word users to create layout-rich documents (newsletters, fliers, and brochures), Ledger Sheets in Excel, and "My Day" priority tracking in Entourage. Office 2008 will use Microsoft's new Open XML format, and Microsoft has pledged to provide beta file format converters for users of Office 2004 by Spring 2008. Also, Office 2008 will be the first version of Office to be a Universal Binary. Microsft has not yet released pricing information, however current versions range from $149 for the Student and Teacher Edition to $399 for the Standard Edition (Professional Edition is likely to be discontinued with the next version of Office since Microsoft's decision to stop developing VirtualPC for Mac). [ Digg This ] Last edited by bousozoku : Jan 9, 2007 at 06:18 PM.

Jan 9, 2007, 06:02 PM	#2
Machead III macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: UK, France	2nd half 2007? That's still before the majority of the planet get's the iPhone. __________________ "Radical means grasping things at the root!" - Angela Davis "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it all." - Noam Chomsky "I know you've come to kill me. Shoot, coward, you're only going to kill a man!" - Che Guevara (moments before assassination)

Jan 9, 2007, 06:07 PM	#5
willybNL macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: ((New York) - (New) ) + Zoom out = Europe, The Netherlands	"Office 2008 will use Microsoft's new Open XML format, and Microsoft has pledged to provide beta file format converters for users of Office 2004 by Spring 2004." Damn... they are fast... They already go back in time to deliver file format converters... typo :P __________________ MacBook Pro. 20" widescreen and 1TB disc. - FCE user. - iPhone 3G + Navigon 1 And huge fan of phraseworld.com (the open phrasebook)

Jan 9, 2007, 06:07 PM	#6
JohnHummel macrumors member Join Date: May 2003	So does this mean that Entourage will finally have full Exchange compatibility - or that crappy, uh, crap that half works right unless you turn on LDAP and Web and other things to get it almost feeling like the OS 9 Outlook 2001 client? __________________ John Hummel http://www.gamerspress.com - Gamers' Press, the wiki gaming site

Jan 9, 2007, 06:13 PM	#8
vendettabass macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Manchester, UK	as far as I'm concerned, as long as its UB, its some of the best news today! __________________ Italic Edge \|\| Twitter \|\| Facebook

Jan 9, 2007, 06:05 PM	#3
miketcool macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2003	It was about time for them to announce the delayed introduction date of software. Thank goodness Office 2008 for Mac is the only thing Redmond is late on.

Jan 9, 2007, 06:12 PM	#7
stephenmckeague macrumors member Join Date: Sep 2006	Any chance of Access being included in this??

Jan 9, 2007, 06:15 PM	#9
kroko macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Latvia / Austria	m$ steal it. or use neo. __________________ mac os x, freebsd

Jan 9, 2007, 06:16 PM	#10
avkills macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2002	Very weak. They should have been announcing AND shipping it today. But then again, maybe the MBU hasn't a clue how to code for x86. And we certainly do not want the normal M$ code monkeys doing it. -mark

Jan 9, 2007, 06:17 PM	#11
cal6n macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Brighton, UK	It's a sad, sad day when Micro$oft's Macworld announcement is more exciting than Apple's!

Jan 9, 2007, 06:23 PM	#15
Bengt77 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Behind my Mac.	Darn, right when I was going to write a really witty reply about those file converters, 2004 and some archived news items on the Mac Topia site, I see that at least two people have beaten me to it. Darn you all! __________________ • Computer: MacBook CE unibody 2,4GHz • iPods: iPod nano 4G 8GB, iPod 5G 60GB • Sound: ATH-A900Ti, ATH-AD900, SE530 & SE210 • Use MRoogle!

Jan 9, 2007, 06:25 PM	#16
scott523 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA	This news is an embarrassment to Microsoft. Before they said Office 2007 where everyone saw 2008 on the horizon long before Microsoft announce it today. __________________ White 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook - 2GB Patriot RAM , 120GB Seagate HD 1GB iPod shuffle (2nd generation)

Jan 9, 2007, 06:33 PM	#20
Mitthrawnuruodo Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Bergen, Norway	I just have to say: Sorry MS, I've found a nice and free alternative which even has announced OpenXML Documents and VBA Macros support already in Q1 2007. __________________ Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it; those who fail to learn history correctly... why, they are simply doomed.

Jan 9, 2007, 06:38 PM	#21
Maxwell Smart macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2006	Finally, I can't wait for some Office universal....

Jan 9, 2007, 06:42 PM	#22
Spanky Deluxe macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London, UK	For once I've found a Microsoft announcement more important to me than the Apple one!! __________________ "No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space."

Jan 9, 2007, 06:48 PM	#23
themacthinker macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2006	This is a good news I would say that this is a good news. I don't know if we can trust that Microsoft redesign of office will follow the mac graphic guidelines and efficiency but let's keep our fingers crossed. Last edited by Doctor Q : Jan 9, 2007 at 06:59 PM. Reason: removed simulated signature

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