SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9, 2007 -- Microsoft Corp.s Macintosh
Business Unit (Mac BU) revealed at Macworld Conference & Expo
2007 the news Mac fans have been waiting to hear: A new version of
Office for Mac is on its way. The Mac BU announced its intent to
deliver the first Universal version of Office for Mac for PowerPC-
and Intel-based Macs Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. Scheduled to
be available in the second half of 2007, Office 2008 for Mac will
allow Mac users to work smarter and more efficiently with new and
enhanced tools that are simple, intuitive and easily
discovered.
For more than two decades, Microsoft has been committed to
delivering quality and innovation on the Macintosh platform while
retaining unparalleled compatibility with PCs, said Roz Ho,
general manager of the Mac BU at Microsoft. Office 2008 is, by
far, the most comprehensive, Mac-complementary productivity suite
weve developed to date. Ive witnessed firsthand the progression
of this product, and am excited to think about the possibilities
that soon will be available to our customers when Office 2008
launches later this year.
Microsoft conducted extensive customer research to determine which
enhancements to make to its Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage
applications. As a result, Office 2008 for Mac is packed with new
tools to help Mac users better manage the business of life.
Shared Technologies With Office for Windows
Office 2008 for Mac shares a new graphics engine with Office for
Windows. Office Art 2.0 provides users with the ability to add
professionally designed graphics with a simple click of a button.
Like the 2007 Microsoft Office system and its new user interface
(UI) with the Ribbon, Office 2008 has its own new UI that
introduces Elements Gallery, a feature that emphasizes
discoverability and gives users quick access to tools and
Mac-specific features within applications in a visually appealing,
simple way. Both features leverage Mac OS capabilities to retain a
Mac-like look and feel users are familiar with while taking
advantage of new technologies.
Part of the Elements Gallery is a tool called Document Parts.
Documents Parts simplify and automate some of the most common, but
often difficult and tedious, document tasks such as adding a
table of contents or headers and footers so users can produce
manuscripts and papers that look professional.
New Mac-First, Mac-Only Features
Microsoft continues to deliver new Mac-first, Mac-only features
aimed at providing customers with a unique, engaging and
definitively Mac experience. Office 2008 for Mac will carry on the
tradition of Mac BUs productivity software, helping users get
organized and work smarter through these features:
· Publishing Layout View lets users create incredibly layout-rich
documents such as newsletters, fliers and brochures by uncovering
desktop publishing layout tools and providing text box entry.
· Ledger Sheets enable anyone to use Excel to handle common
financial management tasks. Home and small-business users can
balance checkbooks, track accounts or manage investment portfolios
more easily than ever.
· My Day allows users to track priorities and stay on top of daily
activities no matter what application theyre currently working in.
My Day is a stand-alone application that doesnt take up much
screen space, offers at-a-glance schedule and task viewing without
launching Entourage, and lets users color-code everything for
visualizing daily priorities.
Commitment to Compatibility
To improve collaboration between Mac customers and their
Windows-based PC counterparts, the Mac BU has continued to make
compatibility with Office for Windows a key priority. Like the 2007
Office release, Office 2008 for Mac will use the Office Open XML
Formats, which were just approved in December by standards body
Ecma International as an international standard. In spring 2007,
Microsoft plans to release a public beta of the file format
converters for the current version, Office 2004 for Mac, so users
can read and write the new Office Open XML Formats. Six to eight
weeks after Office 2008 for Mac is launched, the Mac BU intends to
ship final versions of the converters.
More information about the Mac BU and Microsoft Macintosh products
is available at http://www.microsoft.com/mac