Microsoft’s Macintosh Business unit (MacBU) has shared details about the next version of Microsoft Office for Mac, announcing that a new application, Outlook for Mac, will replace Entourage for Mac. MacBU is providing this early information to meet the planning needs of enterprise customers. For current Entourage users, Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition is available today, enabling users to sync Tasks, Notes and Categories.
MacBU has also announced a simplified SKU lineup to help make product selection more intuitive for customers. The new lineup introduces Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition in addition to the current offering of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition.
“It is an exciting time for the MacBU with updates to our current products and the first public announcement about the next version of Office for Mac. For several years, we have focussed on providing the best Microsoft Exchange client for the Mac, and the Web Services Edition delivers that today for Entourage users,” said Eric Wilfrid, general manager, MacBU, Microsoft.
“Outlook for Mac will bring features our customers have long requested — such as Information Rights Management — that make working across platforms even easier. I think people will see that this move to Outlook for Mac is more than just a name change.”
MacBU says the infrastructure changes in Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition, provide more agility in development for the future — marking the first step in delivering Outlook for Mac. Web Services Edition provides faster data synchronisation so current Entourage users on Exchange will experience improved e-mail and calendaring support. The beta was launched earlier this year and has since been used by several large enterprise customers including NASA and Wesleyan University. Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition is available to current Entourage users on Office 2008 for Mac SP2, with all updates applied, on Exchange 2007 SP1 RU4 or later.
Outlook for Mac will also feature Cocoa -- built from the ground up using Cocoa providing users with improved integration with the Mac OS; new database -- a high-speed file-based database with support for backing up files with Time Machine and Spotlight searching; and information rights management -- helps prevent sensitive information from being distributed to or read by people who do not have permission to access the content.
The new Office 2008 for Mac lineup now includes two Office 2008 editions -- Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition (currently on store shelves), and the new Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition.
Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition will launch on 15 September 2009 and will be available for pre-order on 18 August 2009 for the estimated retail price of $399.95 and $239.95 for customers eligible for Version Upgrade.
Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition is currently available for the estimated retail price of $149.95 for the full retail version. The free Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition, can be
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