Three versions of Office 2008 for Mac due in January

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 25 September 2007 10:22

Business IT - Technology

Microsoft has confirmed that Office 2008 for Macintosh will ship in January, and revealed that one version will include the Expression Media asset management program.

In all, three versions will be offered.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac comprises Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage, and includes support for Automator and Exchange Server. How fully Exchange is supported remains to be seen, as Entourage 2004's performance in this regard has been a bone of contention among corporate users.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition adds Expression Media to the above package. Expression Media handles over 120 file formats (including RAW files from popular cameras) and creates a visual catalogue. Format conversion and basic image editing are also supported.

Microsoft Office 2008 Home and Student Edition provides the core suite without Automator or Exchange support, but it licensed for up to three users.

Although Australian prices have not been disclosed, Microsoft has announced that those purchasing Office 2004 between September 26 and February 29, 2008 will qualify for 'technology protection' - a $A27 upgrade (including shipping and handling) to the 2008 version. Notably, the 2004 Standard Edition will be upgraded to the 2008 Special Media Edition.

Australian delivery of Office 2008 will begin on January 31, 2008.

In the US, Office 2008 will ship on January 15, 2008. The prices will be $US399.95 for the basic version ($US239.95 upgrade), $499.95 for the Special Media Edition ($US299.95 upgrade) and $US149.95 for the Home and Student Edition. These prices are unchanged from the 2004 versions.

The technology protection charge for new US buyers of Office 2004 was not included in the announcement.