KEY POINTS:
Microsoft's Mac Office 2008 for Mac is claiming 'seamless' integration with its Windows equivalent.
This foolproof compatibility has been touted as earlier versions of the Office suite have been released - and hasn't been completely true.
Mac users have often been left scratching their heads when files that seemed fine on the Apple version turned into gobbledygook under Windows - or refused to open at all.
But as the new version uses Microsoft's Open XML file formats - a controversial XML-based format that replaced Microsoft's binary file types within Office - things should be peachy. And judging by the reaction to the suite since its release at Apple's MacWorld conference on January 15th, Open XML is doing the trick.
Office 2008 for Mac will release in New Zealand on January 31, and will run on both PowerPC and Intel machines.
There are several versions on offer - including the expected Home and Student Edition which retails for $269 and the standard edition at $899 (or $549 upgrade).
At the top of the heap is the premium Special Media Edition, which retails for $1149 (upgrade $749).
All versions contain the obligatory Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage (the Apple equivalent of Outlook) and Messanger.
Both the SME and standard edition feature Microsoft Exchange Server support, and work with Automator Actions within the Mac operating system. Part of the reason for this support is the lack of macro and Visual Basic support within both Word and Excel.
One very effective demonstration of the Automator tie-in was turning one word document into an audio file and loading to iTunes and then an iPod with one click.
The number of scripts being written to take advantage of this compatibility (for all sort of weird and wonderful reasons) is huge already impressive - automatoractions.com is a good start.
Special Media Edition's justification for the price tag is a powerful digital asset management program called Expression. It is capable of storing 120,000 items in 100-odd file formats - including Adobe's InDesign and Photoshop files.
It all sounds good, looks good and there are some great new features that were demonstrated at today's busy launch - but for those who aren't sold on what the blurb on the box, we'll be reviewing it over the next few days.
- NZ HERALD STAFF
