Should you rush out to buy it?

Reports indicate that Microsoft have implemented some pretty nifty new features into their new office suite for Apple Mac. Some features target the student market while others target the business sector.

The Home and Business version boasts the following features:

• Word for Mac 2011
• Excel for Mac 2011
• PowerPoint for Mac 2011
• Outlook for Mac 2011
• Messenger for Mac 8
• Remote Desktop Connection for Mac 2
• IRM: Consume rights-managed documents
• Support for Windows Live™ SkyDrive™
• Support for Office Web Apps
• Windows SharePoint Services support (WSS)
• Premium product support (1 year unlimited)

There are  massive improvements for larger organisations which have many team members working on the same document (eg. reports) such as co-authoring. Students may take advantage of the new full screen mode (handy for taking notes in lectures) and enhanced controls in power points (Layering).

One of the more notable additions to Office:mac 2011 is the integration of tools. Instead of tools being organised in toolboxes as in the previous version of Office:mac tools are now organised in a ribbbon fashion (pictured below). This is not a new feature for windows users, however it will be a welcome addition for mac users who were upset with the toolbox approach.

To further assist integration with Windows users Microsoft Outlook 2011 has been included in the latest release. Unfortunately it is only available in the Home and Business version so make sure you select the correct product should you require Outlook.

Final Verdict

For Student users of office there may not be enough standout features to make the leap to the new version of Office:mac. The truth is, while a lot of the features are handy they are not particularly compulsory for students with relatively low income.

Business users may find many advantages in the latest release of Office:mac due to the addition of Outlook and other features which assist in every day business activities. However if your office is already using a modern version of Microsoft Office for Windows then outlaying almost $300.00 per user would not be a cost effective strategy for a small office. For larger organisations a multi-user license should be available which would reduce the cost per user.

If you have any questions on Microsoft Office or would like to upgrade today. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss.

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products

http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/blog-1.107/outside-our-bubble?page155=BlogPosting&article155=19.1440922

http://www.geeksmack.net/apple/giveaway-microsoft-office-for-mac-2011-home-business