Mac BU offers better 'Suite Deal' upgrade promo
updated 03:10 pm EDT, Thu November 1, 2007
Mac Office 2008 promo
In the months leading up to the launch of Office 2008 for Mac OS X, Microsoft is launching a new promotion dubbed the "Suite Deal!" in which users can save up to $500 by purchasing qualifying Office 2004 for Mac products and receive a copy of Office 2008 for Mac Special Edition for the cost of shipping and handling ($7). The new promo ups the ante over its previously announced 'technology guarantee' by offering a free upgrade to the Special Edition version of the fully-native Mac Office 2008, which includes the Office 2008 applications as well as Microsoft Expression Media digital asset management system. Users who buy Office 2004 for Mac Standard Edition, Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition, or Office 2004 for Mac Standard Edition Upgrade will receive Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition as a complimentary upgrade. Consumers in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico are eligible to cash in on this Super Suite Deal. The promotion is good through January 14, 2008,.
In early August, Microsoft's Mac Business Unit announced that the next Mac version of the Office suite would be delayed. Saying the decision was purely "quality driven." The company told MacNN that the release of the highly anticipated Office 2008 for Mac suite has been pushed back from its originally projected late 2007 release date to early 2008 -- "hopefully" in time for the annual Macworld Expo Conference, which takes place in early January.
While the Mac BU is working with Apple to deliver the Office 2008 release, it would not comment on whether the productivity suite would be 100 percent compatible with Apple's Leopard operating system.
Currently, Office 2008 is in a closed beta cycle. The release was announced during Macworld 2007, and shares a new graphics engine with Office for Windows, as well as introducing Office Art 2.0, which enables users to easily add pre-designed graphics. The upgraded suite also features a new user interface that offers an Elements Gallery, emphasizing discoverability while providing quick access to tools as well as Mac-specific features within applications.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2000
meh
Does anyone actually find this exciting?
The thought of having a Microsoft graphics engine imposed upon my Mac is, quite frankly, disturbing. I use Office 2004 almost every day at work, but Office 2008 does not appeal in the least. I'd be far more thrilled if a true alternative came to maturity before the arrival of 2008.