Advertisement
Promo

Office applications Toolkit

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac: a first look

Bonnie Cha CNET

Published: 13 Jan 2004

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendly
  • Post Comment

In 1984, Microsoft delivered its first Mac-flavoured office software with Microsoft Word 1.0 for Mac. Now, 20 years later, Bill Gates and company are still at it with a new office suite incarnation: Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac. Slated for a mid-2004 release, the productivity suite includes old favourites Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage, plus a handful of features completely new to the Mac, including Project Center for project management and Compatibility Reports for ensuring seamless information exchange with other platforms and older versions of Office.

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac is all about the view. The new Notebook Layout View in Word simulates the look of ruled notebook paper for easy note taking. And as a bonus, you can record audio notes directly into Word. The Page Layout View will come in handy for Excel users wanting to tweak margins, headers, footers and layout before printing.

Office 2004's new Project Center lets you view all email, files, contacts, meetings and tasks associated with a project. Also, the Scrapbook feature gives you quick access to frequently used text, pictures and more, all within a one-click reach.


The new Project Center in Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac lets you see all email, files, contacts, meetings, and tasks associated with a particular project in one aggregated view.

It remains to be seen whether Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac will have the same stability problems as its predecessor. And Microsoft has already announced its plans for another version of the productivity suite. This news puts you in the awkward position of having to determine whether Office 2004's new features, which are still mostly under wraps, warrant dishing out £329 (Standard version) or £194 for an upgrade when they may be obsolete sooner rather than later.

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac's new functionality will help you better manage and share information. Compatibility Reports, specifically, will make life easier for those who work across platforms. Anyone content with the current Mac Office version, however, might want to hold tight and see what Microsoft has in store for future generations. Check back soon for a full review.

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendly
  • Post Comment

Did you find this article useful?
33 out of 87 people found this useful


New Products

System Center Essentials 2010 Beta 1

System Center Essentials 2010 Beta 1

If you spend more time fighting fires than adding business value through IT, it's time to look at Microsoft's comprehensive management solution for medium-sized businesses.

Chrome OS: a first look

Chrome OS: a first look

Google has released source code for a preliminary version of its Linux-based operating system. Is it destined to dominate the netbook market? Here are our first impressions.

Office 2010 Beta: a first look

Office 2010 Beta: a first look

How does the first public beta of Microsoft's next productivity suite differ from the Technical Preview? We have a hands-on evaluation.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials

Security Essentials is recommended if you want 'set and forget' security. If you need more robust configuration choices, or don't want to contribute to the cloud, then look elsewhere.

View all Previews

Video icon

Video

Win a BlackBerry with Vlingo voice recognition

Win a BlackBerry with Vlingo voice recognition

What is ZDNet UK's usual tagline?

Competition closes - 14 Jan 2010

Discussions

schmidtpainting schmidtpainting

Satellites to the rescue

Thursday 31 December 2009, 10:24 PM

1 comment
Tezzer Tezzer

The cost of Freedom

Thursday 31 December 2009, 3:32 PM

3 comments
blackholesun blackholesun

Attack Site!

Thursday 31 December 2009, 3:14 PM

6 comments
ator1940 ator1940

The cost of Freedom

Thursday 31 December 2009, 3:06 PM

3 comments

Vista Upgrade Blog

How to Upgrade From Windows Vista to W...

Did you get the news? Microsoft has unzipped its kitty and kept its latest, supposedly the best, offering on display. This is the brand new version of Microsoft operating system, named... More

Post a comment

Tinsel on the TARDIS

There were shepherds on the hill, and the Doctor popped his head out of the TARDIS and said "you might want to see this" and they were astounded. WHY do we pay for a TV license?... More

Post a comment

Can I have fries with that? (Consumer...

Licence policies of Tech company's have been for a long time both complicated and 'Dick Turpin-esque', people just click 'I agree' without reading the Agreement. I do the same, but... More

1 comment


Skip Sub Navigation Links to CNET Brand Links

Help

Become part of the ZDNet community.

Newsletters