Microsoft to Release Office for Mac 2011 in Late October

[jettredmont]

Wait, Word, Powerpoint, and Excel are the only programs included in Office?

What happened to Equation Editor? That's the only thing I ever bothered with Office for. (I write the equation in it, then copy and paste it into Pages... I've tried other programs like Latex and stuff, but none of them seem to be as exhaustive as far as covering all the symbols or as easy to use as Equation Editor... I guess it's time for me to go write my own application to do it or something...

I believe the Word Equation Editor (which became the Office equation editor) was at one time available as an independent software program from the company that actually made it (Microsoft bought distribution rights to it, not the actual company that made it). I forget if "Math+Magic" was that or just a really good look-alike. In any case, I switched to Math+Magic a few years back for our family because it offered better features than the Office Equation Editor and was more stable.

 

[spillproof]

I don't know if it has been said before, but i am so glad Office will be released in time for this school year. oh Microsoft, will you ever learn?

 

[Mike225]

I don't know if it has been said before, but i am so glad Office will be released in time for this school year. oh Microsoft, will you ever learn?

Buy 2008 and upgrade free to 2011. I dont see the issue here.

'In addition, starting today, if customers purchase Office 2008 for Mac, they will be able to upgrade to Office 2011 when it is available at no additional cost through the Microsoft Office for Mac Technology Guarantee Program."

Oh blinded Apple fans, when will you ever learn?

 

[NAG]

Unfortunately, that doesn't matter much if you are exchanging files and the client works with Powerpoint. I have yet to see the converter for any Office format that works flawlessly. Also, Pages is quite good for layouts, but Word is stronger when it comes to business or science oriented documents like memos, specifications or papers and the workflow that is attached to them.

Well you must not work in the "real world" to steal the phrase being used by the iWork bashers. The ability to use keynote presentations is pretty common these days for scientific lectures.

As far as Word is concerned it has EndNote (took them a while for it to be 2008 compatible) but Pages does a much better job as far as layout. Word can really throw a fit sometimes. Honestly, Apple does need to allow for some sort of support for things like EndNote in Pages. The ease of page layout trumps EndNote integration for me for most things, though. Numbers is the only app that needs some serious help (of course it took Microsoft months for them to fix error bars in 2008...made it completely useless for scientists until SP1).

True, but at least most spreadsheets created on a Win machine will open just fine on the Mac version - again compatibility is the key; and not just with Excel.

I agree that Numbers needs some help. I'm not sure if they'll ever be fully compatible though since Numbers takes the idea of the spreadsheet word processor that Excel started and kind of runs with it.

Better is in the eye of the beholder. Creating a presentation in keynote does you no good if it will be opened a Win version of PowerPoint - you have to check every slide to be sure it will work properly.

I never claimed Keynote can magically make Powerpoint presentations that won't explode. It can't make Powerpoint not suck. You can get away with no bug check run for Keynote presentations, you can't for powerpoint.

As fro mail vs Outlook; it again depends on what you want to do. Outlook (at least the Win version) is very good at handling folders, Sharepoint integration, etc. Entourage does it in a so-so manner; Mail isn't even close.

I'm mostly comparing the Mac versions of programs. Mail is much better than anything Microsoft has put out for the Mac. The Windows version of office is better than the Mac version. No doubt about that.

Much of the real world, at least those that pay me money, use Excel and other MS Office products exclusively 24/7. Therefore I use them.

Good for you. I'd leave out terminology such as "real world" though because it implies that people who aren't you are not in the real world. You should just drop that phrase. I am in the real world too and I routinely redid papers in Pages to fix up layout and such. I was paid for that.

Would I like to migrate to Keynote? Sure; but it simply doesn't do what I need on an ongoing basis; as I have pointed out above.

I can understand migration issues like this. Just don't frame them as "real world" vs delusional. (I'm not saying you were the only one doing this, this is the macrumors forums afterall.)

EDIT: Oh and iWork for iPad needs some serious help. It is okay for some minor editing or composing but other than that I haven't seen something so incompatible with different versions of the suite in a long time.

 

[Cougarcat]

As far as Word is concerned it has EndNote (took them a while for it to be 2008 compatible) but Pages does a much better job as far as layout. Word can really throw a fit sometimes. Honestly, Apple does need to allow for some sort of support for things like EndNote in Pages.

Pages does support EndNote X2.

 

[beginnersview]

I said it before. Sources tell me its in early development.

Thx.
If you refer to OneNote in development, that is good news -- at least in the long run. I wonder where the buy-in bar will be set though. I don't recall MS ever grandfathering in buyers of previous office suites, just them adding a new product (e.g. OneNote) to a later office suite package release.

 

[Dillenger]

Thx.
If you refer to OneNote in development, that is good news -- at least in the long run. I wonder where the buy-in bar will be set though. I don't recall MS ever grandfathering in buyers of previous office suites, just them adding a new product (e.g. OneNote) to a later office suite package release.

I think I read a blog about 4 or 5 years ago that OneNote for Mac was in development. Either they have one person working on it, or when it comes out it will an amazing piece of software.

 

[FlyinggPenguin]

These icons are downright adorable.

 

[batchtaster]

So Outlook is $80, and it would only work with Exchange 2007 and above? That's an expensive email program!

I don't think you understand what Outlook and Exchange means to a medium-to-large enterprise. $80 for an "email program" is nothing when a deployment of the infrastructure and client is in the $2 million range. I have 400 Mac users. $80 * 400 = $32000. And for it to actually work (where Entourage does not) and to end even half the user complaints? Even if the infrastructure is 1/4 of ours ($500,000), it's loose change and the bargain of the year. Particularly when we're spending easily the same amount in man-hours fixing mailbox and permissions corruptions, and struggling against Entourage's limitations.

If anyone is sitting there thinking it's an overpriced "email program", you obviously don't know Exchange.

Microsoft is obviously recognizing its strengths and where it's less strong. Entourage sucked because its roots go back to Outlook Express, which was only POP/IMAP. Exchange support was bolted on later. If you're a POP/IMAP user, what on earth do you need from Outlook that Mail or Thunderbird does not offer?

BTW, Outlook 2011 does support IMAP and POP accounts.

I think I read a blog about 4 or 5 years ago that OneNote for Mac was in development. Either they have one person working on it, or when it comes out it will an amazing piece of software.

Microsoft Word > View > Notebook Layout

what are the system requirements, will it run on Tiger?

No. 10.5.8 or above.

 

[eponym]

I personally never liked the Adobe and Office icons; complete lack of creativity. Letters as icons, or letters in boxes are not a win, as far as design goes.

Design is function over form, and as such the Adobe CS icons are fantastic design. I have 10+ Adobe icons in my dock and I never have to look for any app. I can instantly recognize it.

Though I admit the CS5 iterations are a tad ugly (hate the box/book look)...

 

[jmorrison0722]

Compare

I agree with earlier posters...Keynote kicks the crap out of Powerpoint. Period.

As for the other apps, it gets a bit fuzzy.
Word is still better than Pages, but not by much for most users.

Numbers...well...numbers sucks. I'm sorry to say it, but its just not there yet. Excel is a bit clunky at times, but it's familiar and reliable. (Did I just call a MS product reliable? Perhaps 'predictable' is a better way to describe it.)

Most consider Entourage to be superior to Mail. Entourage offers a number of features that Mail doesn't, but the basic email functionality in Mail is much better than Entourage, IMO. Address book and iCal are better too. I do like having them all in one app as Entourage provides.

Regardless, now Entourage is dead and is being replaced by...nothing? So, 2011 provides less functionality than 2008 and the price is the same? How is this okay? And considering that Powerpoint is essentially a waste of disk space, MS wants me to upgrade to get Word & Excel? Are there any features in either of them to justify an upgrade?

 

[eponym]

Regardless, now Entourage is dead and is being replaced by...nothing? So, 2011 provides less functionality than 2008 and the price is the same? How is this okay?

The "O" is for Outlook...

They're bringing the mac version more in line with the Windows one. And they're also adding in Communicator, which AFAIK is an app that works with your exchange contacts/conversations/email and has commands that can do things like set up meeting requests, combines voice mail with exchange, and can redirect calls to any number and is great for any phone that has exchange email (like the iPhone).

 

[palebluedot]

It's a nice mail client but no ActiveSync support makes it useless to me.

It can do Exchange, if thats what you mean? Plus... I love the OS X integration. I can click on a message in Mail.app, hover over a date, and add it to my iCal. I can't do that with Entourage

 

[mattnotis]

Can't wait to torrent this!

 

[ZipZilla]

Intel only? Lazy....no sale here.

 

[KirkL]

The "O" is for Outlook...

They're bringing the mac version more in line with the Windows one. And they're also adding in Communicator, which AFAIK is an app that works with your exchange contacts/conversations/email and has commands that can do things like set up meeting requests, combines voice mail with exchange, and can redirect calls to any number and is great for any phone that has exchange email (like the iPhone).

Then they better bring OneNote to the Mac too!

 

[JAT]

The "O" is for Outlook...

They're bringing the mac version more in line with the Windows one.

Just like Windows is 2 versions behind OSX, the Mac Office appears to be 1 or 2 behind Office for Win.

Thx.
If you refer to OneNote in development, that is good news -- at least in the long run. I wonder where the buy-in bar will be set though. I don't recall MS ever grandfathering in buyers of previous office suites, just them adding a new product (e.g. OneNote) to a later office suite package release.

Why does it seem like the development level is: talk at MacRumors.

Intel only? Lazy....no sale here.

That's just dense. OSX is now Intel only. It's over. You need to move on. It may have been too fast or not, but it is done.

 

[DeepIn2U]

ActiveSync is actually one of the better things Microsoft has done.

It syncs contacts, mail, notes, calendar and todo items to any mobile device that supports it. It does this all pretty much live and I've seen email hit my iPhone before it's gone to my PC so sometimes it's more 'Active' than Microsoft's MAPI.

It's also better than BES or BIS just because it doesn't go through some crappy company's servers en route to the phone.

Please don't spread conjecture on something you don't know.

Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync is NOT even close to the security of BES which sites behind the firewall and uses SQL Server (Microsofts/Oracle's SQL/etc) to communicate with Exchange, Domino, Groupwise. There is NOTHING in the corporate Private or Public that supports ALL those servers for Push Email! NOTHING!

If you're on domain and email gets pushed to your iPhone first ... its because you're on CACHED Exchange Mode in Outlook. Turn it off, close Outlook entirely, delete the OST file, relaunch Outlook; then test - I'll bet over the course of the next 10mins or longer your results will change.

ActiveSync does NOT have to be enabled for OWA to work - but its a MUST for your iPhone or MS WinMobile or WebOS or iPhone to receive emails ... without it its just not going to work.

BES supports more than just email bub. Intranet sites, Sharepoints or Domino equivalents, internal applications, ticketing systems, etc; DO YOUR RESEARCH before you call "some crappy company's servers".

 

[brentsg]

Actually, as much as I want to find something to critique here I can't. Nice price, good updates, and the technology guarantee makes sense. Good job MS?

Well unless I'm missing something, they need to tweak the current pricing for Office 2008.

I'd actually like to buy it and then get the free upgrade, but wow.. the going rate for 2008 is considerably higher than what is announced for 2011.

(need Outlook, so referring to the Business Edition)

 

[jettredmont]

Oh wait, no you don't. I have never had a single problem of anyone opening a Office 2004 file on a PC. And I have office 2007 on my PC if I have to read a file in a 2007 only format.

Interesting. Try taking a screenshot (to the clipboard) and pasting that into a Word document in Word 2004. Save the file and send it to your Windows Office. Isn't that graphic pretty?

MS Office had/s(?) a long-standing issue (since before 2004) with images pasted from the clipboard. Instead, if you want that image visible to any Windows version of office, you need to save the image to a file and import the file into Word.

From my years of working with Word in this office, I've seen quite a few documents with minor formatting issues. Excel too. For instance, one guy has a macro which puts lines in an Excel file (Windows, 2007 version) and when those files are opened in Excel 2004 the lines all have 2" tall black arrow heads on the ends of them, completely obscuring huge chunks of the document. So, yeah, Excel has some formatting issues across-platforms as well.

 

[jettredmont]

Well, Eudora lets me change the subject of a received email.
I find this to be very useful as I receive lots of business-oriented emails with the wrong (unrelated to the message content) subject as too many people hit reply on some old message.

I'm dying to know what kind of AI you hacked into Eudora so that it knows the email's body doesn't match the subject!

OTOH, you can rename email subjects using AppleScript with Mail, and run that AppleScript based on rules.

 

[jettredmont]

Unfortunately that's just how things are done. You're not wrong at all. Loyalty really does seem to mean nothing. But it's not like MS is alone in having this sort of Upgrade pricing. Apple does the exact same thing.

Lack of upgrade pricing on a $50-80 piece of software isn't great, but it is understandable.

Lack of upgrade pricing on a $300 piece of software speaks to just how tightly MS believes its customers to be locked in. Makes me want to move off that particular product train whenever I get the chance. Which, unfortunately, is not going to be soon at work, but at home? Yeah, not likely to gain a repeat customer there.

And Apple does do upgrade pricing on its major software apps like Aperture, Final Cut, Filemaker, etc. It's just not worth the hassle of administering the upgrade program for software without activation keys.

 

[Thunderbird]

I just wanted to thank all the Office:Mac beta testers and others who have input into developing Office 2011. I'm really looking forward to this release as I've put off getting Office for Mac until this year because of all the issues with Office 2004 and 2008 ( I realize many of the problems have been fixed in those editions).

Still, I appreciate everyone's efforts at making Office: Mac 2011 what I think/hope will be a much better office suite than it's previous versions. Beta testers don't always get the recognition they deserve.

Until October....keep catching any bugs you see.

 

[maxmara2]

I still like iWork better. No one can beat Keynote. Keynote has some amazing slide transitions and effects.

yes, i agree with that, and that also the only thing keynote got which can beat powerpoint

 

[maxmara2]

Yes. People who have jobs tend to care about Microsoft.

nice one