Microsoft released an updated
version of Outlook for Mac on Friday, through the company's Office 365
subscription service, which costs $100 a year. Microsoft also said it plans to release
a new version of its popular Office software package for Mac computers - but
not until next year.
"Today we are announcing the
new Outlook for the Mac, which delivers improved performance and reliability
and a fresh look and feel that is unmistakably Microsoft
Office," the Office 365
team wrote on Office Blogs. "This
release offers a more familiar and consistent experience between Outlook on the PC, Outlook on the web and Outlook Web App (OWA) for iPad, iPhone
and Android devices."
The new Outlook for Mac comes with improved performance, refreshed
UI, online archive support for searching Exchange archived mail, Office 365
push email support for real-time email delivery, and other enhancements.
A full Office package for Macs was
expected this year, as Microsoft usually releases that a year after it produces
a new version for Windows. But there hasn't been a new Office for Macs since
late 2010, even though it's already been a year and a half since the Windows release. Microsoft says that's because it
has been concentrating on producing Office versions for smartphones and tablets
first. The Office package usually includes word-processing (Microsoft Word),
spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel) and other commonly used programs like Microsoft
PowerPoint and OneNote.
"Historically we have released
a new version of Office for Mac approximately six to eight months after Office
for Windows," the blog post elaborated. "However, following the
release of Office 365 we made the conscious decision to prioritise mobile first
and cloud first scenarios for an increasing number of people who are getting
things done on-the-go more frequently." This meant delivering and
continuing to improve Office on a variety phones (iPhone, Windows Phone, and
Android) and tablets (iPad and Windows)."
"In the first half of 2015 we
will release a public beta for the next version of Office for Mac, and in the
second half of 2015 we will make the final release available," the post
added.
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