Microsoft releases Office 2011 for Mac with Outlook, cloud support

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Microsoft on Tuesday announced the release of Office 2011 for Mac, bringing new features to the productivity suite including an all-new version of Outlook built from the ground up for Mac OS X.



Eric Wilfrid, general manager of the Microsoft Office for Mac team, said though his company and Apple compete, there are still customers on the Mac platform who need to use Microsoft Office in a Windows-centric world. It's for that reason that the new Office 2011 is such a hotly anticipated release.



"As someone who works at Microsoft and deals with Apple often, I acknowledge that our companies compete," Wilfrid said. "Some people choose Windows, and some people choose Mac. That conflict tends to get a lot of attention, but I deal in the reality that there are customers who love their Macs and also love using Office."



Wilfrid said that three-quarters of all Mac users have Office installed on their machine, a statistic he believes highlights the importance of the relationship between Microsoft and Apple.



Starting Tuesday, Mac users can now obtain the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and, for the first time, Outlook. Office 2011 for Mac is now available in 13 languages around the world, and by November it will be available in 45 countries.



The latest release will also bring the cloud-based service that Windows users have enjoyed since Office 2010.



"Office isn't just about what runs on a desktop machine or laptop," Wilfrid said. "Office is an experience that shows up across your computer, on the Web browser, and on your mobile device."







Office 2011 for Mac also includes a new version of Outlook built from the ground up for the Mac. The latest version of the productivity suite also works with on-premises Exchange and the just-announced Office 365 cloud service.



It also has built-in integration with Windows Live SkyDrive, and connections to SharePoint so users can manage files and work from any location. Office Web Apps also allow Mac users to edit Office documents straight from their browser.







Office 2011 for Mac also packs new co-authoring tools that allow users to edit the same Word document or PowerPoint presentation simultaneously with other people in different locations, as long as they are using Office 2011 for Mac or Office 2010 for Windows. Users an also quickly share presentations with anyone who has browser access through PowerPoint broadcasting.



The new version of Office also has greater file format compatibility, ensuring that Office documents created on either a Mac or a PC look exactly the same, even when printed out.







Office 2011 for Mac is now available for purchase in a number of different bundles:

Home and Student edition - $110

Home and Student edition - Family Pack (3 Licenses) - $130

Home and Business edition - $175.

Home and Business edition - 2 License Pack - $240

In addition, Word for Mac 2011, Excel for Mac 2011 and PowerPoint for Mac 2011 can all be purchased separately for $139.99 each. All three are also now available.



For more on Microsoft's Office 2011 for Mac, see AppleInsider's extensive review.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 48
    While I want to to install and get rid of 2008, I won't be updating until we get our exchange 2010 server up and running. We're on 03 for the moment.
  • Reply 2 of 48
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    While I want to to install and get rid of 2008, I won't be updating until we get our exchange 2010 server up and running. We're on 03 for the moment.



    Sounds like you?ll be waiting for a very, very long moment.
  • Reply 3 of 48
    Sorry, but nobody "loves" using Microsoft Office.
  • Reply 4 of 48
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gordon Werner View Post


    Sorry, but nobody "loves" using Microsoft Office.



    Compared to using iWork Numbers, I ?loves? MS Office Excel.
  • Reply 5 of 48
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    While I want to to install and get rid of 2008, I won't be updating until we get our exchange 2010 server up and running. We're on 03 for the moment.



    I hope that Office 2011 support for VBA is not messed up. I can't wait to get rid of both Office 2004 and 2008. I am still using 2004 for VBA and 2008 for the new format.
  • Reply 6 of 48
    1) what VERSION of OS X does this require? "OS X" is not very informative. Amazon doesn't seem to know either.



    2) Where is Access? Is it coming at all? I was all excited to see this, but then... no Access... wtf?



    iLife '11 is utterly useless to me because it requires Snow Leopard, which I can't use because it breaks a bunch of software I use regularly. Is this going to be another one of those "bleeding edge" releases?
  • Reply 7 of 48
    I can't, for the life of me, understand why anyone would purchase (and that MS would market) Word, Excel, or PowerPoint SEPARATELY for $140 EACH, when the suite is less than that... How does that make sense to any consumer?
  • Reply 8 of 48
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tbehunin View Post


    I can't, for the life of me, understand why anyone would purchase (and that MS would market) Word, Excel, or PowerPoint SEPARATELY for $140 EACH, when the suite is less than that... How does that make sense to any consumer?



    If I remember correctly this was required as part of the antitrust settlement.They are required to sell them separately but they didn't specify for how much
  • Reply 9 of 48
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fyngyrz View Post


    1) what VERSION of OS X does this require? "OS X" is not very informative. Amazon doesn't seem to know either.



    Can't help you on #2, but this is from Amazon:



    System Requirements

    A Mac computer with an Intel processor

    Mac OS X version 10.5.8 or later

    1 GB of RAM recommended

    2.5 GB of available hard disk space

    HFS+ hard disk format (also known as Mac OS Extended or HFS Plus)

    DVD drive or connection to a local area network (if installing over a network)

    1280 x 800 or higher resolution monitor

    Additional items or services are required to use some features

    Certain online functionality requires a Windows Live ID.

    Outlook and certain features require Internet access (fees may apply).

    Exchange support in Outlook 2011 requires connectivity to Microsoft Exchange 2007 SP1 RU4 or later.

    Access to files stored on a SharePoint server requires connectivity to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or later.

    Coauthoring requires SharePoint 2010 or a Windows Live ID.
  • Reply 10 of 48
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Sounds like you?ll be waiting for a very, very long moment.



    Not really, we're working on getting our VM environment up and running. I would say within 6 months.
  • Reply 11 of 48
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tbehunin View Post


    I can't, for the life of me, understand why anyone would purchase (and that MS would market) Word, Excel, or PowerPoint SEPARATELY for $140 EACH, when the suite is less than that... How does that make sense to any consumer?



    Well, it's usually free since it's part of the agreement with MS if you have volume licensing.
  • Reply 12 of 48
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gordon Werner View Post


    Sorry, but nobody "loves" using Microsoft Office.





    Sorry, but some of us who work for a living do. Please do me a favor and don't put words in mine, or the millions of people's mouths who use MS Office daily and appreciate that we can run a Mac version...
  • Reply 13 of 48
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iluomo View Post


    Can't help you on #2, but this is from Amazon:



    A Mac computer with an Intel processor

    Mac OS X version 10.5.8 or later

    1 GB of RAM recommended

    2.5 GB of available hard disk space

    HFS+ hard disk format (also known as Mac OS Extended or HFS Plus)



    Awesome. Thank you, I did look on Amazon, but didn't see this. Very much appreciated.
  • Reply 14 of 48
    OH Boy. another cranky, difficult, MS product just loaded with stuff that you really don't need. But it will at least feature an impossible to use Help system.



    Ho Hum!



    This is like saying that GM is really going to make good automobiles....this time...trust us.
  • Reply 15 of 48
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bibbler View Post


    Sorry, but some of us who work for a living do. Please do me a favor and don't put words in mine, or the millions of people's mouths who use MS Office daily and appreciate that we can run a Mac version...



    Gordon Werner was commenting on the OP from AppleInsider. He is correct. Nobody "loves" Microsoft Office. It is a necessary evil. Some have doubts about the "necessary." However, the major selling point for the suite is that it provides compatibility with Microsoft Office for Windows. That's not love. Nobody "loves" Microsoft Office. You declare that you love Microsoft Office. In so doing, you defined yourself.
  • Reply 16 of 48
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fyngyrz View Post


    2) Where is Access? Is it coming at all? I was all excited to see this, but then... no Access... wtf?



    Access is not coming and it never was. If you need a cross platform database, use FileMaker or if you want one that's more "programmy," then use 4D.
  • Reply 17 of 48
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    At last week's Apple event MS Office was giving accolades by a presenter while iWork wasn't mentioned at all, as far as I recall. (no opinion, just pointing it out)
  • Reply 18 of 48
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fyngyrz View Post




    2) Where is Access? Is it coming at all? I was all excited to see this, but then... no Access... wtf?




    Microsoft will probably never port Access to OSX. Not only would it be costly (because Access is much more complex than the other Office apps), but it would elevate the Mac to be a much stronger competitor with Windows in business, and MS doesn't want to do that.
  • Reply 19 of 48
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bibbler View Post


    Sorry, but some of us who work for a living do. Please do me a favor and don't put words in mine, or the millions of people's mouths who use MS Office daily and appreciate that we can run a Mac version...



    Bingo.
  • Reply 20 of 48
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gustav View Post


    Access is not coming and it never was. If you need a cross platform database, use FileMaker or if you want one that's more "programmy," then use 4D.



    Problem is that what many people want/need is Access, not some other program that is kinda/sorta in the same general ballpark as Access. But, as you say, Access has never been in the cards. The only way to get Access on a Mac is through virtualization/bootcamp. And that will probably never change.
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