Microsoft Australia will market a new lower-cost version of its Office for Macintosh productivity software to home users when it releases the new 2008 edition of the software in January.
But – while US pricing has already been announced – Microsoft’s Australian HQ last night was still mulling over pricing options for the new suite, due to be unveiled at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco on January 15 and to hit the Australian market on January 31.
Office 2008 for Mac will come in three editions: Standard, Special Media Edition, and Home and Student. The latter will replace a Student-and-Teacher edition of the current Office 2004 for Mac.
The 2008 Standard edition, aimed at business users, will comprise the Word, Excel PowerPoint and Entourage (e-mail and diary) applications – and for the first time will include ability to connect to an Exchange Server as well as some scripts for use with the Mac OS X Automator scripting tool.
The “Special Media” edition will have the same applications and Exchange connections, plus Expression Media, a digital media-cataloguing and management program already available in Office for Windows Vista. Microsoft Australia believes it will appeal especially to publishing professionals.
Sorry Mac – no ribbon
The Home and Student version aimed at consumers has just the basic four productivity programs. It includes a licence for installation on to three
home PCs.
In the US this version will sell for US$170 (A$195) before tax suggesting a possible price in the A$220-250 range in Australia. The current Student and Teacher edition, which does not include licences for non-educational users,
goes for $249 – but is not available for non-education users.
Office for Macintosh is largely produced at Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit in Silicon Valley close to Apple’s Cupertino HQ, though Redmond teams also have some input. The MacBU team has eschewed the controversial new “ribbon” interface used in Office Vista in favour of a more “Mac-like” look with separate menus, toolbars and palettes – plus a new workflow graphics device dubbed the Elements Gallery
Microsoft Australia is promising customers who purchase the current version of Office between now and February 29 an upgrade to Office 2008 for $27. – David Frith