Mac BU: Office 2008 on track

In a brief interview with MacNN discussing the departure of general manager Roz Ho, the Macintosh Business Unit (MacBU) of Microsoft told us that the division is squarely focused on delivering Office 2008 in the second half of 2007, and the placement of new general manager Craig Eisler does not signal that the project is off track. Meanwhile, is still a mystery where exactly former MacBU GM Roz Ho is headed in Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division.

Microsoft told MacNN simply that "Roz is working on special projects that take advantage of her many years of technology experience at Mac BU and in other roles." Officials would not specifically state whether Ho was headed to the Zune, Xbox or Surface projects, adding "Roz maintains an active involvement within the E&D division, but not directly to the Mac BU."

The first priority for Eisler is getting Office 2008 out in the scheduled second-half of 2007 time frame. "Right now Craig is focused on getting ramped into his new role and the overall focus on the group is delivering Office 2008 for Mac in the second half of 2007," officials told MacNN.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft MacBU remains the largest Mac OS X development house outside of Apple, with a current head-count of about 180 employees.

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