Gizmodo
There's no better sign of Microsoft's increasing acceptance of the Mac population than the latest version of Office for Mac 2008, the first Office with native support for Intel-based Macs. Like its Mac-side predecessors, this Office has its own interface and tools, many of which aren't found on the PC. But whatever you use to create your PowerPoint presentation or Word doc, it will be 100% compatible with the 2007 PC Office edition. We've known it was coming for a while but now it's officially en route, hitting most retail outfits on January 15th at three key prices starting at $400 for suits and $150 for students and home use. We've been playing with the beta for a few weeks, too, and so far it's a smooth ride.
All editions include Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage. The $400 "standard" edition also has Microsoft Server Exchange support and Automator actions. The $500 Special Media edition has all of that plus Microsoft Expression Media, formerly iView, a program for managing and processing vast batches of 100 different media types.
If you're a cheapskate with a conscience like me, though, you'll be happy to hear that the former "Students and Teachers" edition has been renamed "Home and Student" edition. That means you can pay just the $150 for the four key programs without making up some excuse that you're going back to school for some sort of "adult education."
The biggest advantage of the new Office is that it runs great on the MacBook Pro. After experiencing some crashiness with the old Microsoft Word, I decided to make iWork my default word processor, but compatibility still takes an extra step (you have to Export to Word). My wife is an Office for Mac veteran, and while she hasn't experienced too many stability issues with Word, she finds instability when working in the old PowerPoint, especially with Excel data. She's committed to Office for the long haul, never gonna touch iWork, and I like Office features, like that damn style paintbrush, which comes in handy when you're doing a lot of cut-and-paste. So in my house, a new Office arrival is good news indeed. Needless to say, this Office suite, even in beta, has been nice and stable to date.
My favorite new feature, one of those Mac-only treats, is My Day, which goes with Entourage but is a free-floating purplish-blue standalone app. It is what it sounds like, a little calendar that show you what's on tap. But you can add To-Do's directly to it, and check them off as you go through your day, almost like it was scratch paper. I can use all the to-do I can get, and this has been a big help.
I have to say that when Office 2007 for Windows came out last year, I was a little miffed by the tab interface. I was happy to see that Office 2008 for Mac doesn't follow suit. As you can see from the Word screenshot above, you still have all the familiar ways of finding things, as well as new animated tabs for adding graphics, tables and all sorts of other stuff.
PowerPoint users like my wife will be happy about compatibility with Apple Remote and a "send to iPhoto" feature that save slideshows directly to iPhoto for auto-syncing with an iPod.
Excel nerds get their patience rewarded with more than 1 million rows and 16,000 columns, equal to that of Windows Office 2007. Also, there's a new Formula Builder for people like me who need a little help inserting calculators and stuff. (Usually I just call my wife, who's a total Excel freak.)
As one of the last living humans who uses Hotmail, I was glad to see that the new Messenger for Mac 6 was integrated into the suite. I don't use the messenger (the Mac version doesn't really pack much in the way of multimedia messaging) but I like having the rapid-fire new-mail notifications.
I wish I could say the same for Hotmail support in Entourage. It's sad, but when I loaded up my account info, it downloaded 474 of my oldest emails and refused to go any further, leaving something like 30,000 messages stranded on the server. I inquired about this, as part of my zeal for the new Office was having a pleasant way to manage Hotmail on the Mac. All I got was the cold hard fact that nobody in Redmond cares about Hotmail anymore. The official word: "Improved Hotmail functionality in Entourage was not a main focus for the new version." Don't worry, Hotmail team—wherever you are in that nest of cubicles, fire off a flair and we'll send someone to rescue you. 
Office is a massive suite, and I haven't had the time to explore every nook and cranny yet. I can say that I will be using it going forward, and will investigate any issues that arise. I know many of you already have the beta. Well, now that you're free to talk about it (trust me, you are), I'd like to encourage you to share your comments below—maybe you've discovered some dark underbelly that we haven't found yet. [Mac Office 2008; The Three Editions]
Comments
They've given up on hotmail. You should just switch to gmail, it even comes in IMAP or POP flavors.
So I guess it's time for apple uses to discover the fun of adding x's to the ends of file types and confusing the hell out of people. Mmm .docx
Just goes to show that it doesn't really matter about this Mac vs PC war. There is no war. In the end, the consumers get Screw'd. Both Microsoft and Apple get to take home $$$ while the fanbois cry wee wee wee all the way home.
There is no war. Only those that believe it so are either Apple loyalists or Microsoft paranoid loyalists. The war ended 20 years ago when Microsoft opened its OS to all other PCs except for Mac and Mac staunchly decided to keep their OS closed. Only when Mac opens their OS to PC users will a war begin. Until then, Mac can enjoy its near 30 million OS users while Microsoft owns the other 5.97 billion others.
You really need to point out that unlike earlier versions, office 2008 for Mac does not support Visual Basic, the language used to create advance macros for Excel. This means that office 2008 is incompatible with many Excel macros. This is very important to note for business users.
(The lack of Visual Basic may be a huge issue to Excel "freaks" like your wife...If she's really into advanced Excel use the lack of VB macros may be a serious deal killer for her...)
@daftrok:
I'd still want the Apple stock...
[finance.yahoo.com]
not to be a grammar nazi, but unless the stranded Hotmail team is shooting off suspenders laden with buttons, you probably mean flare...
on the whole, great first look. i too am glad that they didn't do that weird tab-interface from Office 2007, that really bugged me even if it looked nice.
@Skeptic: Beat me to the punch - the lack of cross platform VBS support and lack of true Exchange integration (we had to use Exchange 98 client in classic) is going to be an issue to any true cross platform implementation (unless your creatives don't need to swap .xls with the bean counters) Close but no cigar.
@daftrok: Yep, just like how roundworms are more successful than humans because there are so many more of them.
But if you call that success -- having a higher population at the cost of being a lower life form -- then count me out.
i just want apple to keep being like they are am microsoft to keep doing whatever it is that they do. am new to the apple community and after being on Microsoft coolaid for about 15 years, i finally decided to try something new. i been with apple for 1 year now and have not encounter a single problem, i can say that i can open up any email and download any file without worrying about anything, i mean you go to a P2P site on a PC like imesh or limewire and thats it your done, its like adding fuel to a flame. Microsoft its not a new kid on the block, i think they have had enough time to adress issues already and have done nothing instead
No ribbon! Thank-fuckety-christ.
I'm still power-armed into using the MS Suite at work, and usually just drifted into parallels (primary for VB - woeful oversight there).
But that ribbon! What the hell were they thinking?
And why Hotmail? I mean - there's a reason no-one uses it and it's no longer (really) supported.
I don't think this is the PC vs Mac war. It's the Office vs Google Docs battle in the MS vs Google 100 years war.
@tokiwartooth: What were they thinking with regards to the ribbon? Most likely "let's make a better user interface!" And, you know what? They succeeded, big time. It is genuinely a much better paradigm than the old menu-driven style.
Microsoft has no problem with the Mac population. That's because Microsoft isn't in the computer-manufacturing business.
Microsoft updated Office because it knows that even Mac users use Office (sorry guys, it's true) and shipping a new version is a way to generate new revenue, keep old customers, and make new ones.
I usually don't pick sides in the Microsoft vs. Apple "debate", but when it comes to Office, I do. Nothing will get me to switch away from Office because it's always been a damn good productivity suite. And if Apple wants to compete with Microsoft on the productivity front, Apple is going to have to come out with something better than iWork.
Here's an analogy to illustrate where things stand:
iWork '08- Apple's answer to Microsoft Works 2003.
Yeah, besides, numbers doesn't even have X-Y scatter for graph plotting. What a joke.
@tokiwartooth: Are you kidding? The ribbon rules. With a piece of software with as much 'stuff' as Word, or Powerpoint, or Excel, menus become completely unusable. Hence, the ribbon, a great UI.
@defn: The Nerdry called, they need you back.
The only 3 useful application that come with M$ Office are Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. iWorks '08, which can be found for ~$70, includes application for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. I cannot see spending $400+ for M$ Office. Most users only use about 10-20 percent of the functionality in these applications because they are so bloated. Is iWorks as good as M$ Office? No, but they will definitely do the trick.
As for compatibility, Office for Mac is and will never be 100% compatible with Office for Windows. Office for Windows is not 100% compatible with itself. When OpenOffice 2.0 was released we ran some compatibility tests. OpenOffice applications were more compatible with M$ than M$ applications were. For example copying a formatted spreadsheet chart into a the word processor.
- OpenOffice 2.0 to OpenOffice 2.0: Worked well
- OpenOffice 2.0 to M$ Office XP: Worked well
- M$ Office XP to OpenOffice 2.0: Failed
- M$ Office XP to M$ Office XP: Failed
*Failed = the chart did not copy over with 100% the same look and feel populated with all data and formats.
That said, for compatibility, M$ Office for Mac will not be a suitable options. I have used the current version of Office for Mac for the last 2 years. It has suited my needs, but there is not way it is compatible with Windows versions.
Save your money. Either buy iWorks, use OpenOffice, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, or buy yourself a PC with M$ Office bundled with it. No productivity suite is worth $400+ these days.
@bms74: Office for Home & Students come with Word, Excel and Powerpoint and costs $150, not $400. Wilson said that in the first paragraph.
Please stop spreading FUD.
@bms74: i 98% agree with you. except, i'd be interested to know the differences between the home edition office 2008 for $150 and iwork. aside from ppt not being able to come close to keynote, is there much difference for that $80 extra. i love iwork, the only thing i miss a little bit is access, but for the extra cash i could buy apple's db program (forget what it's called right now).
your right about the free stuff though. there are tonnes of free office products that will get you by quite well. keep an eye out for koffice which should be *nix/windows/osx cross platform with version 2.0 using the qt4 toolkit by end of 2008. it looks to me to have most of the great features of OOo with some of the ingenuity of iwork thrown in for good measure...not a hands on review, simply from reading tech articles.
"There's no better sign of Microsoft's increasing acceptance of the Mac population than the latest version of Office for Mac 2008"
Increasing acceptance?!?! Microsoft has been the #1 seller of Mac software for a long time, which is one of the reasons Bill helped them out financially.
@EMoShunz: As a Word user of 15 years, the difference between Office and iWork is huge. When your business is writing on a deadline, you don't have time to waste on figuring things out. There are keystrokes and shortcuts that are second nature to me that I have neither the time nor inclination to relearn. I don't want sort-of compatibility with Word, I want (and need) fully compatible with Word.
Ask an Excel power user if they're willing to switch and they'll probably give you the same answer. That's because they've invested a lot of time in knowing the program.
Employers look for candidates that know specific programs. Word, Excel and PowerPoint are programs that make a candidate marketable. HR managers simply don't care if prospective employees know Pages or Keynote (and I doubt any have even heard of Numbers).
Am I willing to switch OSes? Yes. Web browsers? Yes. Word processors? Not on your life.
@OMG!!! Ponies!!!: good point. office has always been a way better product than windows, not that widows is all bad. i'd like to see ms go the way of sega to nintendo, and just make really good software for apple. for that matter i'd like to see apple authorize component manufacturers to make os x compatible pc's out of the box (but not give up on hardware, it's so darn pretty). /pipe dream
Do ToDos and Categories sync with Exchange in this final release version? They did not in the beta.
I gotta find this out! PLEASE!
Need more details on Entourage 2008 and how it would sync to a Treo (or any handheld or smartphone for that matter).
iWork '08 is all the average person needs, and it's only $79. When I have to create training materials at work, I bring my MacBook and use Pages and Keynote. Working with graphics and text in Office is a freaking nightmare.
@OMG!!! Ponies!!!: I am not a student and prefer not to lie when purchasing software. Therefore, the price for me would be $400.
No FUD for those of us who are not trying to cheat the system.
@bms74: Read the post. It's not just for students.
"The $400 "standard" edition also has Microsoft Server Exchange support and Automator actions."
Wait - TRUE Exchange Server support - and not that half-baked IMAP OWS horsecrap in the previous versions?
Anyone?
@chillywilly:
Last year, updates added some preferences to Entourage 2004 which allow you to keep the Entourage address book and calendar info in sync with Apple's own Address Book and iCal databases. Mac's built-in iSync, then, can handle syncing these with any Palm device or the iPhone.
Add on something like Missing Sync and that same info can go to most Windows Mobile, Symbian, or Blackberry devices without huge problems.
I'm sure Entourage 2008 will be the same in this regard.
@OMG!!! Ponies!!!: Sorry about that. I did not see that section in the post the first time I read it. I knew they made that change with the Windows version(s), so it makes sense. The $150 price tag does seems a bit more palatable. For the average user, I would still stick with iWorks for less than half the price.
I totally agree with you that in the professional work place, M$ Office is still an essential tool. Especially for collaboration.
@bms74: Not a problem. Sorry if I was testy.
@daftrok: Not sure what side you're fighting for here, but I'm pretty sure that not all six billion people in the world own/use computers.
@OMG!!! Ponies!!!: Me too. Happy New Year!
@OMG!!! Ponies!!!: Way to put out the flames OMG ... I'm keeping an eye on you in '08, you've got a tone to set here.
@BENNY THE INTERN: Even if I won't understand your references, but hey, if we knew everything, we wouldn't need the commenters. Now don't let that go to your head, you filthy, dirty, commenters.
Sorry...but Excel without VBA is utterly gutted for any real powerusers. Interface be-damned.
Writing macros is essential for advanced users.
@bms74: To quote the first ban of the year:
F*@king fan boys...
Uh....I mean...uh...hahaha. I used to use M$ "Orifice" till iWork came up with the Numbers app. iWork covers everything I've needed it for, but my biz isn't exactly huge/corporate. I'm sure it has plenty of room for improvement before you'll ever see people switching over to it from M$ in any substantial way. I also can't imagine Apple is extremely motivated on this front. All iWork and no iLife makes an Apple very dull. That's why "Garbage" Band has changed much more. Slightly off topic: I'm much more frightened by Apple mutating Logic Pro into Garageband-like terminology. Matrix Edit became "Piano Roll" in Logic 8! Argh.
I'm happy to hear that Office 2008 for mac is worthwhile....I am thinking of hopping on th Mac bandwagon, and a good MS office software is a help...The mac would be for the home, but i want to work on documents in a familiar environment and have some ability to do some "work stuff" on my home mac.
Although I guess i could always use paralells.
tasks and categories Exchanged? anyone?
@CEOSELF, @BITFACTORY
Not a good Exchange story with Entourage 2008 either...
[blogs.msdn.com]
If I can get a Leopard, a full OS, for cheaper than the cheapest version of Mac Office then there's something messed up there.
Oh wait. I can.
thank goodness office 08 isnt using the horrific gui that 07 uses on the pc.
@daftrok: what are you even talking about? you make it sound like windows is open source. ms never opened windows to anything except what they provide in the development kits. you realize that apple also has software development kits too, right?
i would venture to say that os x contains more open code (since it's bsd based) than windows. but in either case, windows is as much of a closed system as os x. plus, competition is a good thing.
you know i have to try the new "ribbon" thing to see how it works. it seems like it might very well be an improvement. The only thing is that... damn it takes up sooooo much god damn room. it's basically the equivalent to 5-6 rows of toolbars! in that regard it's actually worse than the old Office apps... i didn't even think that was possible.
I wonder if there will be a Mac menu emulator for Office 2007 for PC.
They've ruined the Office interface. I can barely make any sense of that Ribbon crap. It's so horrible!
does anyone know if the 2008 version autosaves in the .Docx format like the 2007 windows version does? I really don't have a problem with the format change (although it's rather annoying), but the school I work for at large has a problem realizing that older versions can't open/edit the newer document format.
btw-they totally shoulda brought back clippit, but make him badass by giving him an eye patch or something
@Erwos:
Well, actually, certifies whether computers are Vista Compatible and also makes computers, including the X-Box--which is a computer used to play games.
MS actually makes quite a bit of hardware.
The tabs in office 2008 look soo much better than the ones in 2007, and they've inclued menus in 2008.
@doctorSpoc: It's actually MUCH better. I switched to Office 2007 several months ago (company got a bunch of licenses through the Microsoft Gold Partner program). It's a lot more intuitive. I'm actually disappointed that they did not go with the ribbon interface for the Mac, as it would seem to me that the ribbon would be more usable than any other interface they could come up with.
I also fail to understand why Microsoft thinks Mac apps should have a totally different (and usually inferior) UI from the PC versions of the same products (they did the same crap with IE back in the day). Oh well, I'm quite happy to stick with Windows anyway.
OK: Do you or do you not get the Windows Vista ClearType fonts (the ones with the impossible-to-remember names - Corbel, Consolas, etc.) with this software?
@discounteggroll: I would assume it does. I'm surprised your school doesn't use the free compatibility tool offered by MS to allow people with MS Office 03 to view the new files. You can also change the default to be .doc not .docx, but you'll lose the new features and reduced filesize.
>it will be 100% compatible with the 2007 PC Office edition
that'll be a change! powerpoint files created with mac-office rarely if ever are compatible with office 03 on pcs. typically the fonts are completely wrong, usually illegible. even worse if you use the equation editor.
Outlook does not do that Hotmail dance anymore... unless you have what it used to be Windows Live Mail Desktop Beta (nowadays called Windows Live Mail, to mess with the minds of Vista users). So that might as well be on the way... maybe... who knows... who cares... Is it Hotmail still relevant?
@discounteggroll: No. Clippit was a ninja if ever there was one.
@Skeptic: Semantics. Apple makes computers that people use. Not gaming computers that people use in their basements with no access to sunlight or anyone over the age of 16.
Sorry if I offend, but c'mon...you're splitting hairs and it's a silly split. I will never check my email or chat on my XBOX.
That is all.