Apple Expo 2007 Paris--Microsoft revealed Office 2008 for Mac Details

Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit (MacBU) today announced its product lineup for the upcoming Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac release at Apple Expo 2007 in Paris. Office 2008 for Mac, is the core suite that includes Word 2008, Excel 2008, PowerPoint 2008 and Entourage 2008. A new combination for Mac users is Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition which features the Office 2008 applications together with the Microsoft Expression Media digital asset management system. Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition is geared toward professional users who need Microsoft Exchange Server support and Automator tools and are looking for one product to meet their productivity and digital asset management needs. Completing the product lineup is Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition, a specially priced version for users with basic productivity needs.

All versions of Office 2008 for Mac support the new Open XML file format and are Universal applications that will perform natively on Power PC- and Intel-based Macs. Each version will be available in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Swedish, and, for the first time, in the Nordic languages (Danish, Finnish and Norwegian).

As showcased at Macworld Expo 2007, Office 2008 for Mac is designed to help users get more from their Macs by making key functions accessible through a more intuitive design and by introducing smart features such as Ledger Sheets in Excel 2008, My Day with Entourage 2008, Publishing Layout View in Word 2008 and SmartArt graphics in PowerPoint 2008 that are simple to use and yield powerful results. Entourage 2008 also features improved Windows Exchange Server support, with enhanced reliability and functionality.

The Mac BU will offer two versions in addition to Office 2008 for Mac that meet distinct user needs:

• Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition features the complete Office 2008 for Mac productivity suite specially packaged with a full version of Microsoft Expression Media for Mac to empower the media-savvy Mac user with smart digital asset management tools. Expression Media is a powerful and customizable image management software application for importing, annotating, organizing, archiving, searching and distributing users' ever growing collections of digital files.
• Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition provides the basics of Office 2008 for Mac for home and school users. This version includes three user licenses for use by consumers and students but does not include connectivity to Microsoft Exchange Server or support for automated workflows.

Pricing will be as follows:

• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, $399.95 for the full retail version; $239.95 for the upgrade version
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition, $149.95 for the full retail version
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition, $499.95 for the full retail version; $299.95 for the upgrade version

Today also marks the start of the technology guarantee program that allows customers in select regions who purchase qualifying Office 2004 for Mac product(s) to upgrade to a version of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac for only the cost of shipping, handling and applicable taxes. More information about the program specifics in various regions is available at local Office for Mac Web sites.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac will be available in the United States beginning Jan. 15, 2008, with global general availability in the first quarter of 2008. [Bill Fox]