Microsoft Launches Office 2016 for Mac Preview, Available for Free to Mac Users

[69Mustang]

Giving it a try but it's ugly, just like Office 2013 on the PC. The CAPS for the headings is annoying and ugly. The rest looks like a warmed over Office 2011.

Will be OK for those that need office - I'll probably stick with iWork as I have for the past 2 years.

Yeah, but how does it, ya know, like actually work? Seems that would be a little more important than pretty.

 

[surfingarbo]

But can we finish writing our screenplays in Starbucks using Microsoft Office 2016 running on the 38mm Apple Watch?

 

[viizi]

No way, no thanks, goodbye.

you gotta admit, it's better than Apple's version lol

 

[Böhme417]

Get a vertical monitor. Most applications make much better use of the real estate offered by a vertical monitor than a horizontal ones. About the only time a horizontal monitor is better is if you're doing something with photos or videos. Or games.

Consider how much more often you use your iPhone vertically than horizontally when given the choice.

Don't necessarily agree with this... I much prefer spreadsheets on a wide monitor. Email, too. Actually, the only thing I can think of where a vert monitor would be better would be for word processing.

 

[gr4z]

I wonder if Outlook 2016 will work any better with Gmail...

 

[ghostface147]

About time! Downloading and installing now.

 

[FieldingMellish]

A lot of fancy words from Microsoft that I interpret as Subscription Plan.

What are the fine point that would make me love a Microsoft subscription?

 

[Infinitewisdom]

Curious to see the reviews, but I'm sure it'll be great. I like Microsoft's recent direction to focus on putting out excellent apps for their legacy software. It's a smart move and one they should've done ages ago.

 

[ghostface147]

Since this is available during their testing, does it convert to the full program that will be available and released during the summer? In other words, is it free and will it remain free or is it more of a trial period run?

I doubt it very much.

 

[brianvictor7]

ROFL! Excel is nice but hardly reliable. Powerful is subjective.

I'm in a corporate environment and work just fine with LibreOffice. You don't need MS stuff for 90% of "work" that needs to get done.

What reliability issues have you seen with Excel for Mac? I personally haven't run into any, but I don't use it that intensively on my MacBook.

 

[J. Jizzle]

So this requires a 365 subscription?

 

[Apple_Robert]

A lot of fancy words from Microsoft that I interpret as Subscription Plan.

What are the fine point that would make me love a Microsoft subscription?

Updates are included, and with the Home Premium version, you get 10TB of storage on OneDrive. You can buy the subscription for about $65.00 a year if you shop around.

 

[yaxomoxay]

And probably greater than 80% of real world work doesn't need any of that including VBA.

20% of the work force is a pretty high number of people, you know.

 

[Mr. Gates]

Hopefully Microsoft prices it fairly high so that they make a healthy profit so they can maintain sustainability and keep improving their products. I'd like to see them make as much money as possible.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I would tend to agree with you

 

[Apple_Robert]

So this requires a 365 subscription?

I have a subscription with the current official release loaded. I installed the beta and it didn't ask for confirmation of subscription.

 

[zeiter]

guys, can open Outlook? It crashes as soon as I open it for some reason.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Requires Yosemite?!?

Nnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

Want to stay on Mavericks forever?

 

[J. Jizzle]

What's the point of paying x amount of money per year for a 365 subscription when you can just pay a one time price of around $400 and use it forever? Seems to me if you are paying a yearly subscription you'd be spending more money in the long run

 

[hounslowfish]

The apps looks quite similar to the iPad apps and work smoothly. Native Yosemite full screen is finally supported.

But - the app does not support NATIVE AUTOSAVE!!! Still just Microsoft's hackjob AutoBackup system.

I can't believe they aren't using the better solution built into the operating system!

 

[masi0]

Yes, you can use the preview builds of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook for Mac alongside Office for Mac 2011.

Are you sure? My Outlook asks me to activate

 

[Apple_Robert]

guys, can open Outlook? It crashes as soon as I open it for some reason.

Working here.

 

[HikariYuki]

guys, can open Outlook? It crashes as soon as I open it for some reason.

No issues opening up Outlook on my end.

 

[brianvictor7]

So this requires a 365 subscription?

I'm getting conflicting info on that. The MS website says 365 subscription will entitle users to the newest software, so that implies a subscription will be required. If you find clearer info, please let us know.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Are you sure? My Outlook asks me to activate

Did you click on the blue "try it for free" button?

 

[Worf]

Hopefully Microsoft prices it fairly high so that they make a healthy profit so they can maintain sustainability and keep improving their products. I'd like to see them make as much money as possible.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Not sure I get the joke nor was it even funny in the first place