Mac Messenger v7.0 coming

Despite a report yesterday from an employee, Microsoft today confirmed that Messenger for the Mac is not being discontinued, and that a new version is on the way. Microsoft said that Office 2008 for Mac will include the current v6.x in the box and that the v7.0 update is expected time after the release of Office 2008 in January. The Mac Business Unit – Microsoft's team of Mac developers – said that the new version is currently undergoing private beta testing in a number of corporate environments that use Office Communication Server 2007.

The Mac BU also said it is making strides towards making Mac Messenger compliance with its PC counterpart, and will introduce framework required for full audio/video capabilities to personal and corporate users. A solid release date should be available as the beta evolves -- until then v6.0.3 is currently available through Microsoft's Mactopia page.

"The Mac BU just reached a milestone in the development process of the next version, Messenger for Mac 7.0, with the recent launch of a private beta for a select group of enterprise customers in an Office Communication Server 2007 environment who can try out the new Audio / Visual capabilities for business users," the company told MacNN. "The corporate beta is a noteworthy step towards full A/V functionality as the group continues to work closely with the Windows Live Messenger team to bring Audio / Visual to personal users."

Separately, the company this week posted an updated to Word 2004. According to the company, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.3.9 Update fixes an issue that causes Word 2004 to quit unexpectedly when you print a document. The update is for Office 2004 Standard Edition, Office 2004 Student and Teacher Edition, Office 2004 Professional Edition, and Word 2004. It is available the Web or the auto update function.

by MacNN Staff