Before the release of Office for Mac 2011, Mac users who wanted to use Outlook had to run the Windows version or use a very limited Outlook client called Entourage which was included with Office 2004 and Office 2008 for the Mac.
With Microsoft's release of Office 2011 for Mac, Mac users can finally run a native version of Outlook instead of using the Windows version. Running the native version of Outlook is much faster than using the Windows version. It's also cheaper since users no longer have to pay for the Windows operating system just to run Outlook.
Outlook 2011 for Mac
Outlook is used to synchronize e-mail, calendars, contact information, and tasks with a company server that runs Microsoft Exchange. Many corporate email systems use Exchange, so there is an advantage to using an email client that's optimized for Exchange. The user experience will be much better with Outlook. If you have used Outlook Web Access to access Exchange, you'll find that the interface is similar, but it will run much faster.
New Features in Office for Mac 2011
Other new features of Office 2011 include an upgraded interface that is similar to how Office 2007 and Office 2010 looks. Support for Visual Basic macros was reintroduced as well. On the other hand, there are a few drawbacks with this software. ActiveX controls are not available, which means certain documents that rely on them will not work properly. Email attachments in Rich Text Format can't be sent to Office. Finally, Office for Mac 2011 does not support the OpenDocument format which is used by the OpenOffice and LibreOffice suites.
Office 2011 requires an Intel-based Macintosh computer running Mac OS X version 10.5.8 or higher. About 2.5 GB of free space will be needed as well.
Free Download of Office for Mac 2011 Trial Version
Mac users who want to try it out can download Office for Mac 2011 trial version for 30 days, courtesy of Microsoft. This 950MB download contains a full version of the software, with the only drawback being the 30-day limit. At the end of the evaluation period, users will be prompted to purchase the software in order to continue using it.
Pricing for Microsoft Office for Mac 2011
If you are looking to purchase, here is the suggested retail pricing for the software:
- Office for Mac Home and Business Edition 2011 ($199 for one installation or $279 for two installations)
- Office for Mac Home and Student Edition 2011 (does not include Outlook, $119 for one installation, or $149 for three installations)
- Office for Mac Academic 2011 (does include Outlook, only available to college students, college staff, and university faculty at the price of $99 for one installation)
There is a standard version as well, but it is only available through Microsoft's Volume Licensing program. Be careful if you buy the Home and Student edition, because it does not include Outlook.
Overall, the introduction of Outlook in the Mac version of Office is the biggest plus. The improvement in the GUI to match the Windows version is very welcome for those users who are already used to Office 2007 or later. Now that Microsoft has the free trial download option for Office 2011, Mac users can make sure the software meets their needs before spending any money.
