“Some Mac users blasted Microsoft’s plan to ‘ribbonize’ the next version of Office for the Mac, while others — many of whom said they also use the productivity suite on Windows — defended the move,” Gregg Keizer reports for Computerworld.
“Office for Mac 2011 will feature a ribbon similar to what Microsoft debuted with Office 2007 for Windows, and will continue to use in Office 2010, also on Windows,” Keizer reports.
“The ribbon will appear below the standard Mac menu bar and above the content display area in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and is to be the ‘core of our next-generation Office for Mac user experience,’ Microsoft said in a statement last week when it showed off the suite at Macworld Conference and Expo,” Keizer reports. “Familiar interface features, including the classic Mac menu and the standard toolbar, will remain, and the ribbon and toolbar will be collapsible to save screen space, said Microsoft.”
Keizer reports, “Microsoft has not set a ship date for Office 2011 for Mac, saying only that it will release the suite in time for this year’s holiday sales season. Other than the ribbon interface, other prominent changes will include the return of Outlook as the suite’s e-mail client, and the restoration of VBA-based macros, which were dropped for the 2008 edition.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Anyone who gives Microsoft money for Office after such prolonged mistreatment, not to mention public ridicule from Microsoft’s CEO (please see: After attempting to belittle Mac users, Microsoft tries to sell them Office 2008 with free trial), is either a masochist, a fool, or stuck trying to get some work done with junk provided by the aforementioned IT doofuses. Our condolences. We’ll stick with what we’ll be using on our iPads: Apple’s iWork.
Many people believe they need Office, but, in reality, most don’t. Do you need Microsoft Office or do you just think you do? Give Apple’s free 30-day iWork ’09 trial a try and find out.
Related articles:
Office 2011 promises end Microsoft’s war on Macintosh – February 12, 2010
Apple’s iPad, especially iWork for iPad, reveals the future of personal computing – February 02, 2010
iWork for iPad: Apple brings Multi-Touch™ to word-processing, spreadsheet, presentation apps – January 27, 2010
RUMOR: Apple tablet to cost $700-$1000, feature new touch gestures, Multi-Touch™ version of iWork – January 09, 2010
NPD: Sales of Apple’s iWork ‘09 beat iWork ‘08 by 50 percent – December 30, 2009
Apple looking to expand iWork’s online ‘cloud’ experience? – December 28, 2009
Microsoft’s latest Office suite a clunky combination of bad UI decisions and sluggish performance – November 17, 2009
Apple update sweetens iWork.com – September 30, 2009
PC World’s Coursey: Is Office 2010 really the best Microsoft can do? – July 13, 2009
TrustedReviews: Apple iWork ‘09 a capable, less expensive alternative to Microsoft Office – February 19, 2009
Apple’s iWork sports impressive features, gives Microsoft Office a run for its money – February 17, 2009
PC Magazine: You’ll find a lot to like in Apple’s iWork ‘09 – February 07, 2009
T3 reviews Apple iWork ‘09: New features well worth the price – February 03, 2009
CNET reviews Apple iWork ‘09: An emerging powerhouse; worthy replacement for Microsoft Office – January 30, 2009
Sydney Morning Herald reviews Apple iWork ‘09: 4 out of 5 stars – January 26, 2009
PC Advisor reviews Apple’s iWork.com: Handy and convenient tool – January 13, 2009
PC Magazine hands-on with Apple iWork ‘09: ‘Innovative suite certainly looks impressive’ – January 08, 2009
How Apple’s iWork.com works – January 07, 2009
Apple unveils iWork ‘09; Introduces iWork.com public beta for online document sharing – January 06, 2009
To all you victims being in eternal damnation of MS Office spell here is your salvation. Neooffice.org
Dear lord, folks, no one’s asking you to run a concentration camp!
Yeah, MS is a bloodsucking corporation, but frankly I use both Word 2007 (on the PC side of my MacBook Pro) and Word 2008 (on the Mac side) and can separate the company from their products WHEN IT’S IN MY INTERESTS TO DO SO.
Overall I prefer Word 2007 and have gotten used to the ribbon to do what I need. As an academic writer I need Endnote integration, smooth endnote/footnote usage, major document markups, etc. Word 2007 provides all that. Roll on Word 2010 (and 2011).
iWork can’t do cross-references inside a document, something which is vital to my line of work.
MS Office can do it, however.
But apparently “Anyone who gives Microsoft money for Office … is either a masochist, [or] a fool,”
Oh well, there you go, I must be a fool then.
Ignorant MDN assholes.
I have been teaching MS Office (Windows) at the University level for almost 6 years. And of course now I teach Office 2007. I also serve as COO for a mid size corporation, and I have used Office in the workplace since the inception of Office.
As a Mac user as well, I have reached the following conclusions:
1. Office 2008 for Mac is not a solid suite of software, period. The package is mediocre at best.
2. The interfaces for Office 2008 for Mac and Office 2003 (Windows) are similar, so the transition is fairly easy for anyone joining the Mac camp after spending time with Office 2003.
3. The Office 2007 (Windows) interface, i.e., the Ribbon, is much better for beginners, and Office 2007’s interface is consistent across the entire Office suite, which reduces the learning curve on new programs.
4. Office 2003 users are driven nuts by the Office 2007 interface – it is difficult to find what you need, and just plain frustrating. The lack of an Office 2003 interface option for Office 2007 is ridiculous.
5. Office 2008 for Mac can open and save pretty much any file format created in any version of Office, including Office 2007 for Windows, which is a huge plus.
Given the points above, I think the new Office for Mac will be a welcome improvement. My 2 cents.
The Ribbon is the stupidest “feature” I have ever had the misfortune of using. Looking for a rarely used item in the Ribbon is like searching your moms basement for your high school hockey skates. It takes longer than it’s worth. Since when is screen space better utilized with interface rather than content? Didn’t they learn that lesson in the Word 4 fiasco? The “toolbar got so big it covered half the screen. Microsoft can’t even learn from it’s own mistakes. Why am I not surprised.
If your $1000 cellphone, with a bluetooth headset, can turn into a friggin’ lifeboat, it can still take calls from a 40 year old payphone. It can take calls from a $50 pay-as-go cellphone.
These technologies are different enough, yet are still “compatible”. Your bff can listen to you prattle on and on. Just as they politely do with you ‘complex’ Word documents.
Explain why we need a twice convicted illegal monopoly, that forces incompatible costly upgrades, being allowed to set “the standard”.
It’s all just data. Think. Your data shouldn’t be getting locked into any one vendor.
Could you live with having to buy the exact same brand of phone as the person you absolutely ‘must’ speak with?
If YOU ‘choose’ to get an ‘expensive’ word processor, that’s fine. But, your choice shouldn’t dictate my choice. That’s bullshit. And if you don’t know that, then you are an idiot or a self-important jerk.
BTW, if your $1000 cell won’t call a $50 cell. Great. It probably wasn’t important anyway. None of us will have to endure you bragging about the echo cancelling technology while you take a dump at BurgerKing.
Come on guys. Who,in their right mind, has any reason at all to upgrade to yet another Office suite? Oh yeah, the same guys who were really hoping for a Rocky 47 and Godfather 32.
There is nothing I need or want in Office 2004, never mind 2008, never never mind 2011. Even a pirate copy is a waste of drive space.