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Office 2007 coming to Intel Macs

updated 11:55 am EDT, Mon September 18, 2006

Office coming to Mactels


APC Magazine has offered details on Office 2007 for Mac following an interview with the group product manager of Microsoft's Mac Business Unit (MacBU). The latest version -- currently codenamed "Office 12" -- boasts a revised interface as well as new versions of Excel, PowerPoint, and Word that will adopt the native XML file formats of other Windows products. The update will run natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary, and has already reached the halfway point in its development. "Typically we release about 6-8 months after Windows Office, and they've announced general availability in the January timeframe, so we would be 6-8 months after that," said Mary Starman, group product manager of Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit.


by MacNN Staff

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 software, business software

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  1. davidlfoster

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Dec 2005

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    09/18, 12:35pm | report spam | Reply |

    Who are they kidding

    6-8 months after January. That's July-Sept. 2007. Almost a year from now. Even the assumption used for this math is crazy. First of all, as I understand it, the code for Win Office and the XML format needs to be completed many months before a release (i.e., around now or early October). So count from there, or do they really want us to believe they have to go down and buy a retail copy to get down to work? Secondly, a date of mid-2007 is just crazy. I won't wait that long; by then I will identify other tools. There are other tools! NeoOffice is looking pretty good in its binary form (it has opened PC files that Word cannot!); it should be hot stuff in another quarter (not 11 months), and at a really competitive price (tough to divide by zero). Plus, if I felt a need for most of what Office 2007 offers (which I don't), I could just run it with CrossOver or with Parallel 6 to 8 months sooner. So why bother with MacOffice?

    I wish the Mac Business Unit would offer the three features I think most users want (and in this order): STABILITY, SPEED, and INTEROPERABILITY between platforms. This isn't rocket science. I don't need tons of new features to keep me using Word; I need what the program is missing now: Stability, speed, and compatability. Enough said...?

  1. Albert

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    Joined: May 2003

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    09/18, 12:52pm | report spam | Reply |

    real release date

    who cares; nobody uses this worthless software anyway...

    be sure that 'mail merge' still will not work even after its' a

    universal binary; it has never worked on any Mac version to date!; MS does not play fair. MS Mac versions

    are pathetic; and retain less than 50% of the PCs' software functionality.

    MS should be sued for producing Mac software that doesn't work; why does MS even bother?? MS does not want productive Mac users, and can you blame them?? YEs; Mac products are better then MS malware...

  1. darkrail

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    Joined: Sep 2006

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    09/18, 02:26pm | report spam | Reply |

    Pages!

    I don't know about you all, but Pages does everything Word used to do for me, and does it better and more efficiently. For FAR less money. And it does much MORE, too, with all of its beautiful layout tools.

    Ever since I set my Mac up to automatically open Word (.doc) files in Pages, I haven't started Word once. I kept Word on my computer just in case... but I've just never needed it. When I need to send a file to a PC buddy, I just choose "Export as Word Document," and everything's fine.

    Just based on my own experience, I believe Word's core Mac audience is gone. Sure, you'll get a small percent of people who work closely with PC folks, transfering files with very complicated formatting back and forth, and they'll probably want this new Word. But who else...?

    Trust me, if you haven't tried Pages as your exclusive word processor for a few weeks, do it! You won't go back.

  1. ibugv4

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    Joined: Jun 2003

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    09/18, 02:27pm | report spam | Reply |

    albert, take your meds

    and shut the heck up. I mail merge all the time, I have since Word 5.0 under System 7.5, I don't know where you're coming from other than you can't figure out simple software. I agree, Office does more than 80% of those who use it needs it to do. I also think interoperability with the files across platforms should be seen, but to their credit, Office 2004 resolved a lot of Metafile issues. On the other hand, ever notice PowerPoint WON'T display a show on a 30" at it's native resolution? Gotta drop it or get a chopped up image. If you can't wait for office, that's OK, those of us in the public sector who don't get a choice of office apps will be waiting for it, and glady install it when it ships, because we have no choice. I'm notice more and more that SMALL BIZ has Macs than Big Biz/Public sector, which puts me in a different ball park than most. We will be waiting for office, because iWork, OpenOffice, etc are not "secure" enough or "too different" to deal with learning (even though Word 2004 looks NOTHING Like Word 6, 2001). *LIMITED* learning curves are so much fun to work with!!

  1. ::maroma::

    Addicted to MacNN

    Joined: Jan 2002

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    09/18, 02:34pm | report spam | Reply |

    wow

    6-8 months AFTER Office for Windows is released?? Thats just insane. And I thought Adobe's timeline for a Universal version of CS was crazy.

    Microsoft has some SERIOUS issues with software timing. And if they seriously think that Office for Windows will be released in January, they are smoking crack. It will be pushed back, mark my words.

    As others have said, there are options out there these days that will drive people away from the monopoly MS had on the word processor market for Mac. I predict that after their next Office for Mac release, MS will kill the MacBU. They will see horrible sales due to taking 2 years after Apple released the Intel Macs to make a Universal version.

    Once again MS will shoot themselves in the foot because of their ego. They think they can do whatever they want since they have a vast majority of the market. But nothing lasts forever, especially when you squander it.

  1. Glasspusher

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    Joined: Oct 2000

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    09/18, 03:56pm | report spam | Reply |

    no double standard

    Windows users have been waiting 6 years for Vista? Why should mac folks enjoy a speedy update from M$ when M$ can't do the same for people using XP?

    Nice to see M$ not having double standards ;)

  1. rickyirvine

    Junior Member

    Joined: Mar 2000

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    09/19, 07:34am | report spam | Reply |

    Not 2007

    They need to realize that using specific years in their product name is a bad idea, especially when their product updates come every few years.

    Apple decided to forget it's a bad idea too, but at least they are releasing new product every year.

  1. notehead

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    09/19, 02:46pm | report spam | Reply |

    another vote for Pages

    Pages is fantastic (although there are still a few rough edges). It seems to me that most of the criticism levelled at Pages comes from people who - consciously or not - expect it to work exactly like Word.

    Incidentally, I, too, have done mail merges quite successfully with recent versions of Word. But Pages does it more elegantly, not that anyone should be surprised by that.

  1. vasic

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2005

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    09/19, 03:22pm | report spam | Reply |

    Don't dismiss office

    We need to keep in mind that for vast number of switchers, the mere existence of Office for Mac is the one argument that makes the switch comfortable. In addition, vast number of Mac users would be on Windows without Office/Mac. As bad as it is, MacBU is the single largest software vendor outside Apple. love it or hate it, Mac Office is the single most popular non-Apple Mac app/suite. If it goes, Mac will lose big time. We'll have to live with MS until Office gets displaced in Windows world. Until then, it will remain significant on our side of the fence.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    09/19, 03:25pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: real release date

    universal binary; it has never worked on any Mac version to date!; MS does not play fair. MS Mac versions are pathetic; and retain less than 50% of the PCs' software functionality.

    Um, that's true for a lot of software. Ever use anything from Intuit?

    MS should be sued for producing Mac software that doesn't work; why does MS even bother?? MS does not want productive Mac users, and can you blame them?? YEs; Mac products are better then MS malware...

    Why do you think you can sue them for making Mac software that doesn't work? No one yet has sued them over any of their windows software. And if anyone tried suing apple because their software didn't work, you'd be up in arms over how they're idiots, don't know how to use a Mac correctly, you can't sue because they never promised it would work, etc.

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