Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 applications shown on Mac OS X Snow Leopard | |
| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Initial release | October 26, 2010; 10 years ago |
| Stable release | |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.5.8 to macOS 10.14.6 |
| Type | Office suite |
| License | |
| Website | www.microsoft.com/mac/ |
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 is a version of the Microsoft Officeproductivity suite for Mac OS X. It is the successor to Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac and is comparable to Office 2010 for Windows. Office 2011 was followed by Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac released on September 22, 2015, requiring a Mac with an x64 Intel processor and OS X Yosemite or later. Office for Mac 2011 is no longer supported as of October 10, 2017.[4]
The Academic edition was created for higher education students, staff and faculty, and includes one installation. Office for Mac is also available as part of Microsoft's Office 365 subscription programme. Microsoft announced Office 2011 in 2009. There were 6 beta versions released: Beta 1; Beta 2 (Version 14.0.0, Build 100326). To uninstall Office for Mac 2011 move the applications to the Trash.Once you've removed everything, empty the Trash and restart your Mac to complete the process. Before you remove Office for Mac 2011, quit all Office applications and make sure there's nothing in Trash that you want to keep. Leave Office applications closed while you go through this process.
New features[edit]
Microsoft Office 2011 includes more robust enterprise support and greater feature parity with the Windows edition. Its interface is now more similar to Office 2007 and 2010 for Windows, with the addition of the ribbon. Support for Visual Basic for Applications macros has returned after having been dropped in Office 2008.[5][6] Purchasing the Home Premium version of Office for Mac will not allow telephone support automatically to query any problems with the VBA interface. There are however, apparently, according to Microsoft Helpdesk, some third party applications that can address problems with the VBA interface with Office for Mac.[citation needed] In addition, Office 2011 supports online collaboration tools such as OneDrive and Office Web Apps, allowing Mac and Windows users to simultaneously edit documents over the web. It also includes limited support for Apple's high-density Retina Displays, allowing the display of sharp text and images, although most icons within applications themselves are not optimized for this.
A new version of Microsoft Outlook, written using Mac OS X's Cocoa API, returns to the Mac for the first time since 2001 and has full support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.[7] It replaces Entourage, which was included in Office 2001, X, 2004 and 2008 for Mac.[8]
Limitations[edit]
Office for Mac 2011 has a number of limitations compared to Office 2010 for Windows. It does not support ActiveX controls,[9] or OpenDocument Format.[10][11] It also cannot handle attachments in Rich Text Format e-mail messages sent from Outlook for Windows, which are delivered as winmail.dat attachments.[citation needed] It also has several human language limitations, such as lack of support for right-to-left languages such as Arabic, Persian, and Hebrew [12] and automatic language detection. [13]
Microsoft does not support CalDAV and CardDAV in Outlook, so there is no way to sync directly Outlook through iCloud. Outlook also does not allow the user to disable Cached Exchange Mode, unlike the Windows version, and it is therefore not possible to connect to an Exchange Server without downloading a local cache of mail and calendar data. [14]
Additionally, Office for Mac 2011 also has a shorter lifecycle than Office 2010. Support for Office for Mac 2011 was originally slated to end on January 12, 2016, but because Office for Mac 2016 did not come out until July 2015, Microsoft extended support until October 10, 2017. [15] As 32-bit software, it will not run on macOS High Sierra or later versions of macOS.[16][17]
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Editions[edit]
Two editions are available to the general public. Home & Student provides Word, Excel and PowerPoint, while Home & Business adds Outlook and increased support.[18]Microsoft Messenger 8 is included with both editions, and Microsoft Communicator for Mac 2011, which communicates with Microsoft Lync Server, is available only to volume licensing customers.[19] Office 2011 requires an Intel Mac running Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later.[20]
| Applications and services | Home & Student | Home & Business | Academic | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| PowerPoint | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Excel | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Outlook | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Communicator or Lync | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Office Web Apps | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Remote Desktop Connection | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Information Rights Management | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Windows SharePoint Services Support | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Technical support | 90 days | 1 year | 90 days | ? |
The Home & Student edition is available in a single license for one computer and a family pack for three computers. The Home & Business edition is available in a single license for one computer and a multi-pack for two computers. The Standard edition is only available through Volume Licensing.[21] The Academic edition was created for higher education students, staff and faculty, and includes one installation.[22] Office for Mac is also available as part of Microsoft's Office 365 subscription programme.
Development[edit]
Microsoft announced Office 2011 in 2009.[23] There were 6 beta versions released:
- Beta 1
- Beta 2 (Version 14.0.0, Build 100326)
- Beta 3 (Build 100519)—announced on May 25, 2010[24]
- Beta 4 (Build 100526)
- Beta 5 (Build 100709)
- Beta 6 (Build 100802)
Access to beta versions was by invitation only,[25] although leaked copies were circulated among Mac file sharing websites.[26]
The final version was released to manufacturing on September 10, 2010,[27] was available to volume license customers a day later,[28] and made available to the general public on October 26, 2010.[29] Service Pack 1 was released on April 12, 2011.[30]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=55942
- ^'Microsoft Lifecycle Policy: Office 2011'. Support. Microsoft. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^'Microsoft Lifecycle Policy: Lync 2011'. Support. Microsoft. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^'Microsoft Lifecycle Policy: Office 2011'. Support. Microsoft. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^Keizer, Gregg (May 14, 2008). 'Microsoft will bring back macros to Mac Office in 2011'. Computerworld. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^Seff, Jonathan (May 13, 2008). 'Microsoft to bring back Visual Basic in Office for Mac'. Macworld. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^'How to obtain support for Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011 connectivity problems with Exchange Server'. Support (34.0 ed.). Microsoft. September 12, 2013.
- ^Miller, Dan (February 11, 2010). 'Microsoft Announces Office for Mac 2011'. Macworld. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^'Known issues in Excel 2011'. Microsoft. September 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^answer from Michel Bintener Microsoft MVP (Macintosh), Discussion in the forum of a user of Microsoft Office:Mac Archived February 13, 2011, at WebCite
- ^Office 2011: Mac-Version mit Outlook, aber ohne Opendocument, in German. Archived February 13, 2011, at WebCite
- ^Morgenstern, David. 'Microsoft boosts languages, proofing tools in Office 2011 for Mac, Unicode right-to-left support missing'. The Apple Core. ZDNet. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
- ^http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macword/how-can-i-set-word-2011-to-detect-different/ea5f2561-1ef5-4762-93a7-298c52579ab8
- ^http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macoutlook/is-there-any-way-to-disable-cached-exchange-mode/fe6b090e-fdd6-4666-8e54-db9e5348428e?msgId=f34acd1e-22e3-426d-872e-bccae2821420
- ^https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Support-is-ending-for-Office-for-Mac-2011-559b72b1-e045-4c73-bad3-d7f1841b9e8c
- ^Haslam, Karen. 'Which Mac apps won't work in macOS Catalina?'. Macworld. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^Weir, Andy (June 5, 2017). 'Microsoft says Office for Mac 2011 will not be supported on macOS 10.13 High Sierra'. Neowin. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^'Office for Mac 2011—Compare'. Microsoft. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^'Announcing Communicator for Mac'. Office for Mac Blog. Microsoft. September 24, 2010. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^'Office System Requirements'. Microsoft Office for Mac. Microsoft. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ^Michaels, Philip (August 2, 2010). 'Microsoft sets pricing, October release for Office 2011'. Macworld. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
- ^'Office for Mac 2011 Hitting Store Shelves This October'. Microsoft Office Press. Microsoft. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
- ^Snell, Jason (August 13, 2009). 'Microsoft: Next Mac Office due late 2010 with Outlook'. Macworld. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
- ^McLean, Prince (May 25, 2010). 'Microsoft's Office 2011 beta 3 for Mac gets new icons'. AppleInsider. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^Sams, Brad (July 25, 2010). 'Office 2011 for Mac beta invites sent out'. Neowin.net. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^Paliath, Paul. 'Beta 2 of Microsoft Office 2011 leaked'. GeekSmack. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
- ^'Office for Mac 2011 hits RTM'. Office for Mac Blog. Microsoft. September 10, 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^Weintraub, Seth (September 21, 2010). 'Office for Mac hits Microsoft volume licensing servers'. 9to5 Mac. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^Mac Mojo Team (September 28, 2010). 'Office for Mac 2011 in the Store This October'. Office for Mac Blog. Microsoft. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^'Microsoft Office for Mac Downloads and Updates'. Office For Mac. Microsoft. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
Microsoft has released Office for Mac 2011. The latest version of the Office Suite aims to bridge the divide between the Mac and PC, and it packs a ton of new features, including Microsoft Outlook, collaborative sharing and editing, and an updated interface.
Microsoft decided to forego upgrade pricing this year, charging everyone the same regardless of whether they have a previous version. Are the new features and additions worth the price? Read our hands-on review to find out.
Outlook 2011
With Office for Mac 2011, Outlook makes its triumphant return to the platform. The last time Microsoft made Outlook available on the Mac was with Office 2001 — and that version was only for Exchange users. Instead, Microsoft introduced Entourage.
Three years ago, when I switched to OS X full-time, not having Outlook was a large barrier for me to overcome. Apple Mail was a chore. Since then, Mail.app has improved, gaining native Exchange support and native interoperability with Gmail and other IMAP services. My e-mail needs have also changed and I no longer find myself in need of full Exchange server functionality — and I know I'm not alone. The need for robust Exchange support has dwindled as more businesses continue to move from managed domain-based e-mail to services like Google Apps.
When Office for Mac 2008 was released, many questioned whether Entourage was as good as Outlook 2007. The answer was no. Two years later, the question has shifted only slightly: Is Outlook for Mac as good as Outlook 2010? The context on the other hand is dramatically different.
After several weeks of testing, I feel confident in saying that Outlook 2011 for Mac is the first Mac e-mail client that is on par with its Windows counterpart. Not every feature of Outlook 2010 is in Outlook 2011 for Mac, but it's extremely close.
So how is the transition from Apple Mail to Outlook? To test Outlook 2011's prowess, I did something I wouldn't recommend doing under most circumstances: A bulk import of all e-mail messages, accounts and signatures from Apple Mail.
To be clear, I'm a heavy e-mail user. I maintain three active e-mail accounts, each with intricate sets of rules and filters and large volumes of messages. During past attempts, Entourage simply froze, so I was curious whether Outlook would be up to the abuse.
To its credit, Outlook managed to import gigabytes of data without crashing, while keeping my rules intact — though I did have to run them on my various inboxes after the process was finished. I was also able to sync my address book with Address Book for Mac and it pre-populated my work calendar using e-mail invitations.
The one thing that kept the process from being seamless was importing/exporting other calendar events. If you already have calendars setup through Google, MobileMe or iCal, you have to export the calendars and then manually import them into Outlook. Still, any invitations from your inbox will populate themselves in a calendar associated with that account.
The default presentation is three vertical columns, but you can switch to two columns or to a split-column view similar to what Mail.app uses. You can also check the status of sending/receiving mail, and you can view local folders and IMAP mapped folders with ease.
The integration of alarms and alerts for upcoming appointments or events is a really nice touch. I also like how you can have a tear-off 'Today' column for to-dos and upcoming events.
The threaded conversation view is really nice — but it isn't fool proof. It groups together all items sharing the same subject. The problem is that sometimes it confuses itself with the same subjects from different threads. It would be nice if this could be more granulized.
Outlook 2011 is fast, though I'm not sure it's as fast as Apple Mail with the same accounts setup. It also has support for Exchange Server 2007 and 2010 accounts worked without a hitch, even over a VPN. Plus, Microsoft has fixed the way Time Machine backups and Spotlight indexing works, meaning that you don't have to worry about backups taking six times longer (like you did with previous versions of Entourage).
Word 2011
Microsoft Word 2008 for Mac was a solid offering. The improvements to Word 2011 are less visible than the inclusion of Outlook, but they are noticeable.
There are now more templates and document types available, and many of the features from Microsoft Publisher are added directly to Word 2011.
You can now use the Word co-authoring tool that was introduced in Office 2010 for Windows. It allows teams to collaborate by sharing files using Windows Live SkyDrive or SharePoint.
Microsoft has also improved its Automator support for creating Automator Workflows in Word and other Office 2011 products.
Perhaps the best feature, though, is the new distraction-free writing mode, which long-form writers may enjoy.
PowerPoint 2011
We're just going to come right out with this: Keynote is better. Having said that, the professional world runs on Powerpoint, and there are some promising additions in PowerPoint 2011.
For instance, the ability to collaborate and access files from various locations is a huge win — especially if you are a SharePoint user. This also makes it easy to broadcast presentations online.
Apple has toyed with some of these features in iWork '09, but it hasn't taken it as far as Microsoft with Office 2011.
We would love to see some iOS options for PowerPoint, because the ability to control a presentation from an iPhone or iPad and make edits on the go has become a key feature for Keynote. Microsoft already has the cloud computing aspect with SkyDrive, so it wouldn't be a stretch to release an app.
Excel 2011
Excel 2008 removed some of the macro support for files created in Excel for Windows, specifically those created with Visual Basic. Visual Basic support is back for Excel 2011 and there are new features that work across platforms.
Like Word and PowerPoint, you can access files using SharePoint or Windows Live SkyDrive.
There are also new tools for managing tables and conditional formatting. Like Word, Excel is just more polished than its already shiny offering.
Performance
The first time you run an Office program, it might take a few seconds to launch, though subsequent program launches get faster. Every time you logout or restart your computer, the process starts over, but launching remained quick. For us, it was a big improvement over Office 2008.
As we said, Outlook did seem a bit slower than Apple Mail, but it wasn't slow and we didn't have any crashes. Office mac for ipads.
Excel and Word seem on par with Pages and Numbers, though we would still give a speed/performance edge to Keynote over PowerPoint.
Interface
Call me crazy, I like the Ribbon. I think Microsoft nailed the concept in Office 2011. It managed to take the best elements from the Windows version but still keep the Mac functionality that makes a Mac a Mac.
Overall
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 is not only a great Mac release, it's a great Office release. It seems that finally as much care has gone into creating Office for Mac as goes into Office for Windows.
Editions[edit]
Two editions are available to the general public. Home & Student provides Word, Excel and PowerPoint, while Home & Business adds Outlook and increased support.[18]Microsoft Messenger 8 is included with both editions, and Microsoft Communicator for Mac 2011, which communicates with Microsoft Lync Server, is available only to volume licensing customers.[19] Office 2011 requires an Intel Mac running Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later.[20]
| Applications and services | Home & Student | Home & Business | Academic | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| PowerPoint | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Excel | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Outlook | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Communicator or Lync | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Office Web Apps | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Remote Desktop Connection | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Information Rights Management | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Windows SharePoint Services Support | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Technical support | 90 days | 1 year | 90 days | ? |
The Home & Student edition is available in a single license for one computer and a family pack for three computers. The Home & Business edition is available in a single license for one computer and a multi-pack for two computers. The Standard edition is only available through Volume Licensing.[21] The Academic edition was created for higher education students, staff and faculty, and includes one installation.[22] Office for Mac is also available as part of Microsoft's Office 365 subscription programme.
Development[edit]
Microsoft announced Office 2011 in 2009.[23] There were 6 beta versions released:
- Beta 1
- Beta 2 (Version 14.0.0, Build 100326)
- Beta 3 (Build 100519)—announced on May 25, 2010[24]
- Beta 4 (Build 100526)
- Beta 5 (Build 100709)
- Beta 6 (Build 100802)
Access to beta versions was by invitation only,[25] although leaked copies were circulated among Mac file sharing websites.[26]
The final version was released to manufacturing on September 10, 2010,[27] was available to volume license customers a day later,[28] and made available to the general public on October 26, 2010.[29] Service Pack 1 was released on April 12, 2011.[30]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=55942
- ^'Microsoft Lifecycle Policy: Office 2011'. Support. Microsoft. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^'Microsoft Lifecycle Policy: Lync 2011'. Support. Microsoft. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^'Microsoft Lifecycle Policy: Office 2011'. Support. Microsoft. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^Keizer, Gregg (May 14, 2008). 'Microsoft will bring back macros to Mac Office in 2011'. Computerworld. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^Seff, Jonathan (May 13, 2008). 'Microsoft to bring back Visual Basic in Office for Mac'. Macworld. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^'How to obtain support for Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011 connectivity problems with Exchange Server'. Support (34.0 ed.). Microsoft. September 12, 2013.
- ^Miller, Dan (February 11, 2010). 'Microsoft Announces Office for Mac 2011'. Macworld. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^'Known issues in Excel 2011'. Microsoft. September 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^answer from Michel Bintener Microsoft MVP (Macintosh), Discussion in the forum of a user of Microsoft Office:Mac Archived February 13, 2011, at WebCite
- ^Office 2011: Mac-Version mit Outlook, aber ohne Opendocument, in German. Archived February 13, 2011, at WebCite
- ^Morgenstern, David. 'Microsoft boosts languages, proofing tools in Office 2011 for Mac, Unicode right-to-left support missing'. The Apple Core. ZDNet. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
- ^http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macword/how-can-i-set-word-2011-to-detect-different/ea5f2561-1ef5-4762-93a7-298c52579ab8
- ^http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macoutlook/is-there-any-way-to-disable-cached-exchange-mode/fe6b090e-fdd6-4666-8e54-db9e5348428e?msgId=f34acd1e-22e3-426d-872e-bccae2821420
- ^https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Support-is-ending-for-Office-for-Mac-2011-559b72b1-e045-4c73-bad3-d7f1841b9e8c
- ^Haslam, Karen. 'Which Mac apps won't work in macOS Catalina?'. Macworld. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^Weir, Andy (June 5, 2017). 'Microsoft says Office for Mac 2011 will not be supported on macOS 10.13 High Sierra'. Neowin. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^'Office for Mac 2011—Compare'. Microsoft. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^'Announcing Communicator for Mac'. Office for Mac Blog. Microsoft. September 24, 2010. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^'Office System Requirements'. Microsoft Office for Mac. Microsoft. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ^Michaels, Philip (August 2, 2010). 'Microsoft sets pricing, October release for Office 2011'. Macworld. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
- ^'Office for Mac 2011 Hitting Store Shelves This October'. Microsoft Office Press. Microsoft. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
- ^Snell, Jason (August 13, 2009). 'Microsoft: Next Mac Office due late 2010 with Outlook'. Macworld. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
- ^McLean, Prince (May 25, 2010). 'Microsoft's Office 2011 beta 3 for Mac gets new icons'. AppleInsider. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^Sams, Brad (July 25, 2010). 'Office 2011 for Mac beta invites sent out'. Neowin.net. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^Paliath, Paul. 'Beta 2 of Microsoft Office 2011 leaked'. GeekSmack. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
- ^'Office for Mac 2011 hits RTM'. Office for Mac Blog. Microsoft. September 10, 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^Weintraub, Seth (September 21, 2010). 'Office for Mac hits Microsoft volume licensing servers'. 9to5 Mac. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^Mac Mojo Team (September 28, 2010). 'Office for Mac 2011 in the Store This October'. Office for Mac Blog. Microsoft. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^'Microsoft Office for Mac Downloads and Updates'. Office For Mac. Microsoft. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
Microsoft has released Office for Mac 2011. The latest version of the Office Suite aims to bridge the divide between the Mac and PC, and it packs a ton of new features, including Microsoft Outlook, collaborative sharing and editing, and an updated interface.
Microsoft decided to forego upgrade pricing this year, charging everyone the same regardless of whether they have a previous version. Are the new features and additions worth the price? Read our hands-on review to find out.
Outlook 2011
With Office for Mac 2011, Outlook makes its triumphant return to the platform. The last time Microsoft made Outlook available on the Mac was with Office 2001 — and that version was only for Exchange users. Instead, Microsoft introduced Entourage.
Three years ago, when I switched to OS X full-time, not having Outlook was a large barrier for me to overcome. Apple Mail was a chore. Since then, Mail.app has improved, gaining native Exchange support and native interoperability with Gmail and other IMAP services. My e-mail needs have also changed and I no longer find myself in need of full Exchange server functionality — and I know I'm not alone. The need for robust Exchange support has dwindled as more businesses continue to move from managed domain-based e-mail to services like Google Apps.
When Office for Mac 2008 was released, many questioned whether Entourage was as good as Outlook 2007. The answer was no. Two years later, the question has shifted only slightly: Is Outlook for Mac as good as Outlook 2010? The context on the other hand is dramatically different.
After several weeks of testing, I feel confident in saying that Outlook 2011 for Mac is the first Mac e-mail client that is on par with its Windows counterpart. Not every feature of Outlook 2010 is in Outlook 2011 for Mac, but it's extremely close.
So how is the transition from Apple Mail to Outlook? To test Outlook 2011's prowess, I did something I wouldn't recommend doing under most circumstances: A bulk import of all e-mail messages, accounts and signatures from Apple Mail.
To be clear, I'm a heavy e-mail user. I maintain three active e-mail accounts, each with intricate sets of rules and filters and large volumes of messages. During past attempts, Entourage simply froze, so I was curious whether Outlook would be up to the abuse.
To its credit, Outlook managed to import gigabytes of data without crashing, while keeping my rules intact — though I did have to run them on my various inboxes after the process was finished. I was also able to sync my address book with Address Book for Mac and it pre-populated my work calendar using e-mail invitations.
The one thing that kept the process from being seamless was importing/exporting other calendar events. If you already have calendars setup through Google, MobileMe or iCal, you have to export the calendars and then manually import them into Outlook. Still, any invitations from your inbox will populate themselves in a calendar associated with that account.
The default presentation is three vertical columns, but you can switch to two columns or to a split-column view similar to what Mail.app uses. You can also check the status of sending/receiving mail, and you can view local folders and IMAP mapped folders with ease.
The integration of alarms and alerts for upcoming appointments or events is a really nice touch. I also like how you can have a tear-off 'Today' column for to-dos and upcoming events.
The threaded conversation view is really nice — but it isn't fool proof. It groups together all items sharing the same subject. The problem is that sometimes it confuses itself with the same subjects from different threads. It would be nice if this could be more granulized.
Outlook 2011 is fast, though I'm not sure it's as fast as Apple Mail with the same accounts setup. It also has support for Exchange Server 2007 and 2010 accounts worked without a hitch, even over a VPN. Plus, Microsoft has fixed the way Time Machine backups and Spotlight indexing works, meaning that you don't have to worry about backups taking six times longer (like you did with previous versions of Entourage).
Word 2011
Microsoft Word 2008 for Mac was a solid offering. The improvements to Word 2011 are less visible than the inclusion of Outlook, but they are noticeable.
There are now more templates and document types available, and many of the features from Microsoft Publisher are added directly to Word 2011.
You can now use the Word co-authoring tool that was introduced in Office 2010 for Windows. It allows teams to collaborate by sharing files using Windows Live SkyDrive or SharePoint.
Microsoft has also improved its Automator support for creating Automator Workflows in Word and other Office 2011 products.
Perhaps the best feature, though, is the new distraction-free writing mode, which long-form writers may enjoy.
PowerPoint 2011
We're just going to come right out with this: Keynote is better. Having said that, the professional world runs on Powerpoint, and there are some promising additions in PowerPoint 2011.
For instance, the ability to collaborate and access files from various locations is a huge win — especially if you are a SharePoint user. This also makes it easy to broadcast presentations online.
Apple has toyed with some of these features in iWork '09, but it hasn't taken it as far as Microsoft with Office 2011.
We would love to see some iOS options for PowerPoint, because the ability to control a presentation from an iPhone or iPad and make edits on the go has become a key feature for Keynote. Microsoft already has the cloud computing aspect with SkyDrive, so it wouldn't be a stretch to release an app.
Excel 2011
Excel 2008 removed some of the macro support for files created in Excel for Windows, specifically those created with Visual Basic. Visual Basic support is back for Excel 2011 and there are new features that work across platforms.
Like Word and PowerPoint, you can access files using SharePoint or Windows Live SkyDrive.
There are also new tools for managing tables and conditional formatting. Like Word, Excel is just more polished than its already shiny offering.
Performance
The first time you run an Office program, it might take a few seconds to launch, though subsequent program launches get faster. Every time you logout or restart your computer, the process starts over, but launching remained quick. For us, it was a big improvement over Office 2008.
As we said, Outlook did seem a bit slower than Apple Mail, but it wasn't slow and we didn't have any crashes. Office mac for ipads.
Excel and Word seem on par with Pages and Numbers, though we would still give a speed/performance edge to Keynote over PowerPoint.
Interface
Call me crazy, I like the Ribbon. I think Microsoft nailed the concept in Office 2011. It managed to take the best elements from the Windows version but still keep the Mac functionality that makes a Mac a Mac.
Overall
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 is not only a great Mac release, it's a great Office release. It seems that finally as much care has gone into creating Office for Mac as goes into Office for Windows.
Microsoft Office 2011 Download For Mac
Despite the move to the cloud, many of us still use an office suite to do much of our work. Office for Mac 2011 is a great way to get more done on your Mac.
2011 Office For Mac Students
Office for Mac 2011 is $149.99 for the Home & Student edition (three installs), which does not include Outlook 2011. Office for Mac 2011 for Home & Business users is $279.99 (also three installs).
2011 Office For Mac Student Email
Reference: Our testing conducted on a late-2009 27-inch iMac with an Intel i7 and 8GB of RAM, running Mac OS X 10.6.4.
