Office for Mac Delay, Tools in Beta

Office 2008 for Mac has been delayed until Jan. 2008. It was originally scheduled to ship in the second half of 2007. Office 2008 is a significant update for Mac users because it is the first version of Office to natively support Apple’s Intel-based computers as well as the new XML file formats used by Office 2007 on Windows. The current Mac version, Office 2004, runs on Intel-based Macs, but it uses Apple’s Rosetta emulation technology, causing it to run more slowly than a native (or “Universal Binary”) version would.

In addition to the delay in Office 2008, Microsoft announced beta versions of two other Mac tools: Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) Client for Mac 2.0 and the Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac. RDC 2.0 allows Mac users to access Windows computers via the Remote Desktop Protocol. The new version is a Universal Binary and adds new features, such as the ability to connect to multiple servers simultaneously. The file converter now supports the new XML PowerPoint format in addition to the XML formats for Word and Excel.