“Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac is on the verge of moving to 64-bit,” Jim Tanous writes for The Mac Observer.
“The good news is that the transition from 32-bit to 64-bit should be seamless for most users,” Tanous writes. “There are, of course, still a few aspects worth knowing if you rely on Microsoft’s productivity suite. Here’s what longtime Office for Mac users need to know about the switch to 64-bit.”
“What it all boils down to in the most simplistic sense is that moving to 64-bit allows the software to address more memory,” Tanous writes. “Basic answer: 32-bit systems can address a maximum of about 4 gigabytes, while 64-bit systems can address 16 exabytes (that’s 1 million terabytes, if you’re curious)… The benefits of switching to 64-bit Office for Mac range from ‘game-changer’ to ‘meh,’ all depending on a what you need the software to do.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: 32 more bits for us to ignore.
SEE ALSO:
64-bit version of Microsoft Office is finally coming to the Mac – July 8, 2016
Much ado about nothing, for most.
MS Word and Excel are much more powerful, useful, and versatile than Apple Pages and Numbers. But I wouldn’t expect you to understand that. Apple Keynote is better than MS Power Point.
Ditto on your pathetic lack of understanding on nearly every subject. If you did have the cognitive ability to understand you’d know my comment was on behalf of most users where 64 bit won’t make a hill of beans difference. Sort of like your posts not amounting to a hills of beans benefit difference but do smell like what happens after one eats too many beans.
I understand that you are incapable of using Word and Excel. These softwares require a learning curve and are just too difficult for you to master. Because you lack the diligence and intelligence to employ these programs is not a legitimate reason to disparage them. Seriously, if some softwares are too complicated for you need to accept your limitations.
Excuse me, did you just copy and paste this from an exasperated Microsoft Office Tech Support sent directly to you? Wow they sure hit YOU right on the mark! Truth hurtz donut?
Regardless, you are still too dim witted to use Word and Excel. No need to apologize for your deficiencies.
No no, we’re apologizing for YOURS. Which of course are legion. Sadly I’ve only been using Microsoft Office since the 90’s. I can’t hope to compete with your learning just last week in a 1 hour online tutorial for the first time.
Don’t feed the troll.
Don’t except MDN to contain such trolls.
Have you noticed they’re multiplying on this site like a cancer? Vicious little buggers too. Need to be keelhauled, tarred & feathered and flogged.
Then drawn and quartered, in the village square, with spectators laughing and applauding
I like the way you think. You don’t suppose we’re going too easy on them do you?
Clowns.
I logged onto MDN today for the first time in many months (when not following a link from Techinvestornews.com).
MDN’s refusal to do anything about trolls is why it has long since been my source for Apple news.
MDN does a sweep whenever the virulence becomes unbearable. When their inbox is stuffed with complaints, only then do they set down the martini, text their axeman to “clear things up,” and return to perusing well-oiled bodies on the Riviera. Otherwise, it’s laissez-faire all the way.
I think the benefit would be future compatibility. In the future, when Intel starts making 128-bit CPUs, 64-bit software will be fine, but 32-bit software probably won’t work on 128-bit CPUs. Admittedly, we have heard rumors that Apple is considering switching to ARM CPUs, and it seems like the 12” MacBook is a test to see who can manage with a Mac that only has one port.
It doesn’t hurt of course but it also doesn’t rock most people’s world. The benefits are mostly with Excel. I for one need pro features pretty much on every Mac I own. But of course port beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The right tool for the right job.
Numbers just doesn’t cut it for me, although I’d prefer it (just because it isn’t MSFT).
Because 64 bit does address so much more memory than does 32 bit, going 64 may make Excel more stable (crashes about 4X per week. cmd S is such an automatic key stroke when using Excel, I’m not even aware I’m using it. Even then about once per week I get a window stating autosave isn’t working and I have to force quit to regain use of Excel. After all these years you’d think Office would be more stable than that.
… “correct”. You are correct that MS Word and Excel are more powerful and more versatile than Pages and Numbers. peterblood71 is correct that this is important to … not too many.
I once earned a daily wage making the two jump through hoops – just to prove it was possible, and that *I* could make it happen. Hadn’t had a need for that since I retired. Pages could do anything I needed – until the semi-recent dumbing-down re-write. Numbers continues to meet my needs. Modest as they may be since I retired.
“The good news is that the transition from 32-bit to 64-bit should be seamless for most users,”
The bad news for MS is most of us really don’t care as we use something else. We don’t write books or 150 page manuals. We use DBs for extensive calculations.
MS hooks into my computer to send them data are at an end.
I wish MS would put emphasis on outlook for the mac. Its a component of office but doesnt have the import tools of its windows cousin even though it costs as much if not more. True calendar sync between the outlook calendar and the icloud calendar would be great too. It works well in windows 10, in el cap, not so much. Keep at it guys!
I hear they finally — finally! — let you output a movie from PowerPoint on the Mac… something the windows version could do a decade ago.
Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac is on the verge of moving to 64-bit
Yes, MICROSOFT is the LAST OS X developer to move to 64-bit software. Wouldn’t ya know. (0_o) 😼
This Microsoft of which you speak . . . are they still in business?
Not like it used to be. Ballmer saw to that. How long before the Clippers are the league doormat again?
I like this web site so considerably, saved to favorites .
Talk to me once you have spreadsheets containing 250,000 cells, and you’ll see the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit. Casual individuals who just play with Excel at home won’t notice a difference, but I can guarantee you that businesses will.
Despite me being perfectly happy with Numbers and Google Docs, much of the industry uses Office as the de facto standard, and would rather not import and export constantly.
I am looking forward to a 64bit Microsoft Office.
Thanks to Apple almost destroying Pages and never implementing a full feature set into Numbers I have little choice.
The ball has been in Apple’s court and they have yet to take a serious swing at producing a viable MS Office competitor.
Unfortunately, it appears that Apple regards the Mac as nothing more than a cash cow to utilize while they try to force everyone into an iPad.