This is not related to SharePoint but to the Microsoft Office suite: The Mac Business Unit at Microsoft has announced the new Mac Office version 2011. The software is expected to be available in late fall of this year (2010). As it is the tradition in the Mac BU, they don’t plan a public beta. Instead there will be a private beta on invitation only. However, from the publicity seen so far I’d expect a lot of information ahead of release time from Microsoft about their new product (they have improved a lot in that respect in the recent SharePoint 2010 and Office 2010 launch preparation).
Major highlights of the new version:
1) Outlook is back on the Mac, retiring Entourage Mail and Calendar. Among other things this means Mac users are welcomed back to the Exchange user community.
2) Visual Basic is back as well, closing a gap between PC and Mac users created in the 2008 Mac Office version, and giving Mac developers (and users) the opportunity to extend the product on both platforms.
3) Compatibility increase between Mac and PC Office documents and functionality. This is big.
“Noting that roughly three quarters of their Mac users use Windows at least occasionally, Microsoft’s Mac team says it’s also working to make the new Office for the Mac more functionally compatible with the Windows edition.”
4) Collaboration improved by integration with SharePoint and other platforms, including real time online collaboration on documents (co-authoring).
5) User Interface – Ribbon Mac-like. As stated in PC World Microsoft’s Sr. Product Manager Microsoft’s Han-Yi Shaw said
“…that the Mac team at Microsoft worked hard to adopt Apple technologies while also making sure their product was recognizably Microsoft Office.”
Sources:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/189123/microsoft_announces_office_for_mac_2011.html
http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=10812
http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/microsoft_news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222900108
