“Microsoft Corp. said it will release three versions of its Office 2008 for Mac suite in January, with the most expensive of the bunch aimed at creative professionals overwhelmed by the task of organizing their digital media files,” The Associated Press reports.
“Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition, which includes three licenses for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage, an e-mail/calendar/contacts program, will cost $150,” AP reports.
“A $400 version aimed at professionals who use Apple Inc. computers, simply called Office 2008 for Mac, includes the same programs as Home and Student, plus the ability to connect to a Windows Exchange server,” AP reports.
“A third version, the $500 Special Media Edition, adds features to the $400 configuration, including Expression Media, a program that helps computer users organize and manipulate digital photos, video and other files,” AP reports.
Full article here.
Ina Fried reports for CNET, “The new version is also the first to natively support Intel-based Macs, though it will also run on older PowerPC-based machines.”
“Microsoft is also launching a tech guarantee program under which people who buy Office 2004 between now and March 15 will be able to upgrade to the comparable version of Office 2008 for only the cost of shipping and handling, around $10,” Fried reports.
“The software maker does not plan to offer the public a chance to test out the code before the release,” Fried reports. “‘We’ve decided against that,’ Microsoft marketing manager Amanda Lefebvre said, adding that the company is doing testing internally and with a select group of external testers. ‘There will not be a wide public beta.'”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Adam W.” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Just say no.
Craptacular!
With the advent of iWorks it just isn’t worth the expense and trouble anymore…
And statements like this is M$$$ worst fear!
Face it M$$$ has at long last out lived it’s usefulness…
Thank God!
Well, now we know why the MacBU people have been unwilling to speak about full Exchange Server support for Entourage 2008 on the MacMojo blog. They want to charge their customers another $250 for that privilege.
yeah why bother its not gonna look as good as pages or numbers and it will be much harder to figure out at a higher cost. ill opt out ty;)
LOL MW: later as in: Later M$
This so called guarantee program…
“Microsoft is also launching a tech guarantee program under which people who buy Office 2004 between now and March 15 will be able to upgrade to the comparable version of Office 2008 for only the cost of shipping and handling, around $10,” Fried reports”
Sound more like FEAR itself at work!
M$$$ sounds more and more like it’s on it’s last leg!
And that’s a very good thing,,,
Why do they bother???
I’ve moved on from Microsoft Office, haven’t you?
iWork is superb, saying no thanks is easy to do.
And as for Halo 3, it’s just plain sad. It’s the 1990’s all over again.
Three versions? I suppose that’s better than the 15,000 different versions of Vista, but still–really, Microsoft? This proves that you just don’t get it. GTFO my Mac.
“A third version, the $500 Special Media Edition, adds features to the $400 configuration, including Expression Media, a program that helps computer users organize and manipulate digital photos, video and other files,” AP reports.
Yeah, for $100 you can do what Apple will do for you for free (or $79 per upgrade) for iLife.
Snooze.
Why would I want to pay another $300 to connect to a Windows Exchange server?
30 employees on Macs–why would we add another $100 to that price for M$’s Expression Media, a lame ass package of media software that will suck compared to anything I can get using iLife from Apple, which is free with new towers or dirt cheap and 10x better.
Just quote a package price for M$Word, Excel, and PowerPoint because we’re stuck creating projects for the PC heads who need something outside our office. They can keep the rest of the crap.
In house we use Keynote and Numbers.
As enthusiastic as I am whenever MS makes a misstep, I wouldn’t yet call them dead. It looks like most of us who read these sites won’t be paying $150 (not to mention $400) for the new Office. You must keep in mind, though, that today’s Mac market share growth is coming from the Windows camp. The primary lure for them was:
1. Ability to run Windows (if necessary);
2. Availability of Office for Mac.
As much as we all hate this, MS Office is the most necessary evil in the world of Mac. Without it, realistically, there would NOT be Mac. When Jobs made that historic deal with Bill Gates ($200m investment – 5% stake of Apple, and a commitment to develop Office for the next five years), he knew that it was the deal that would save Macintosh.
Today, even though the existence of the Mac (or Apple) is no longer doubted, MS Office is still one of the powerful instruments in bringing folks over from the Dark Side.
Therefore, let’s allow it to exist in the Mac ecosystem; it does have its purpose and we should accept that.
Of course, iWork has been doing Office’s job for me for quite some time now.
I am forever finished with MS Office. Never again. iWorks and iLife does way enough for me.
I have removed all MS shit from my computer forever.
i’ll take iWork for $100, Bill!
MW: “hell,” as in, “i’m getting out of this M$ HELL”
And the Mac community yawns.
Get iWork. Or, save a buck and get OpenOffice.
Microsoft is a dinosaur. While they are one of the most recognized software developers they are past their prime. Let’s put this miserable animal out to pasture.
mmmmmm M i c r o s o f t . . . . Office was the only software on my my that would hang the machine in about 50% of starts. Like we really need microsoft video and media management……. hahahahhahahaha, what crap!
I saw the headline and was sure that I would be reading about a significant price cut so that M$ could win back some iWork users.
I almost laughed out loud when I read the prices plus the “upgraded” versions!
What a joke.
I am very happy with using iWork. Still trying to help my wife make the transition as she is so used to the old version of Word.
With iWork at $79 for Pages and Keynote and free apps like Mail, iPhoto, etc.
Why do we need Micro$oft at all now?
Well, I guess it’s not bad to have someone for Apple to compare against! Makes them look better.
(MDN Magic Word: “picture” as in- M$ just doesn’t get the big picture”
OMG!
There are plenty of word processing choices out there that make having to use Word completey uneccessary – and just about every word processor that’s out there now – no – every word processor that’s out there now is compatible with the MS .doc format [excluding the “new” doc format that MS injected into our lives, but everybody will catchup sooner than later], (everybody has to be compatible with .doc because we keep buying it).
Plenty of email options are also available making Outlook/Entorauge obsolete, and some really nice personal information managers make anything that MS can do pale by comparison.
About the only thing the Mac mght be a little weak on is spread sheets, but even in that arena life can go on just fine without Excel.
For that matter the same goes for the Windows world, there’s a plethora of word processing, email, and spreadsheet options already out there, and many of them already come ready to be Exchange compliant – just where MS wants the rest of the world – compliant with all that is MS.
Does anyone get it yet? Ween yourself of MS while there’s still a tiny chance. I know we visit this site to reinforce each other and the Mac platform, and that’s as it should be, but the truth is that in the real world MS still absolutely dominates, everywhere and with rare exception. I’ve been going through my seasonal job search and I see that even in creative fields like video editingl, graphics, publishing, etc., the vast majority of employers are either still on Windows, or switched to Windows back in the late ’90s and are now permanently stuck with it.
There’s only one real remedy for this and that’s to stop using MS products – period, and that goes for non-Mac users and Mac users. Stop talking about not buying it and stop buying it.
While iWork has come a long way it is still not quite ready for prime time. It’s close but is still missing some key features. After the 30 day trial I went back to Office. I will probably still get iWork in the near future but I will keep Office.
Office is a good product even if you hate Microsoft. Price wise Office at $50 per license is a better deal then iwork at $79 per license. I have 3 computers so it works out just right.
Predrag is correct. The availability of Office for the Mac made it “safe” for me to consider (and eventually purchase) my first Mac in late 2004. In talking with others about considering a Mac, people do seem “relieved” that Office is available for the Mac. Even though I mention other alternatives exist to Office, people almost always discount that option. General acceptance of the alternatives will take some time.
Peace.
Apple’s iWork ’08 Family Pack Software License Agreement allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on up to a maximum of five (5) Apple-labeled computers at a time as long as those computers are located in the same household and used by persons who occupy that same household (a person or persons sharing the same housing unit such as a home, apartment, mobile home or condominium).
Yes MDN just say no unless you’re teacher or the like and Apple’s offering doesn’t cut the mustard. In which case you’re comment is not merely superfluous but irrelevant. Sometimes it’s better to say nothing when you have nothing much to say.
Oh and for the record I’ve tried out every mac software package Apple and shareware, freeware and open source and in the end it was Microsoft. I’m not happy but at least it does the trick.
I’ll have no problem getting approved for this new version. Real exchange connectivity is a big deal and has been holding back the mac in the enterprise.
I need access to Exchange. I’ll be buying. It’s just the way it is.
ROFL $400!!
Blow that!
Im sticking to iWork08!
No sale here you greedy bastards!
@Greg M
You can get a FIVE license iWork for 99 dollars. Enough said.