In the four years since Mac Office 2004 was released, there have been many changes in computers. The landscape of productivity software has also changed dramatically, with new competition for Microsoft Office.
Office still remains the gold standard in productivity suites, and with good reason. Office 2008 is a robust, full-featured suite designed for power users. You'll find features in Office 2008 that you won't find in other suites for the Mac.
Unfortunately, though, Office 2008 may not be an appealing upgrade for many users. But new improvements will make Office 2008 more attractive than ever to businesses.
Office still remains the gold standard in productivity suites, and with good reason. Office 2008 is a robust, full-featured suite designed for power users. You'll find features in Office 2008 that you won't find in other suites for the Mac.
Unfortunately, though, Office 2008 may not be an appealing upgrade for many users. But new improvements will make Office 2008 more attractive than ever to businesses.
Office 2008 Compared to Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2007 has received much criticism for its new design interface. Many experienced users are uncomfortable with the Ribbon layout introduced in Office 2007.
The new interface in Office 2007 was designed to reduce the confusing menus and submenus from previous versions of Office. It is also a boon for new Office users, placing important commands in easily accessible places. But older users have been resistant to the new user interface.
So it is understandable that Mac users may be reluctant to upgrade to Office 2008, the latest version of Office for the Mac operating system. Rest assured, though, that Mac 2008 won’t require the same learning curve required by Office 2007.
The same menus are present in Office that were present in Mac Office 2004. But Microsoft has added new features to make your work easier in Office.
The new interface in Office 2007 was designed to reduce the confusing menus and submenus from previous versions of Office. It is also a boon for new Office users, placing important commands in easily accessible places. But older users have been resistant to the new user interface.
So it is understandable that Mac users may be reluctant to upgrade to Office 2008, the latest version of Office for the Mac operating system. Rest assured, though, that Mac 2008 won’t require the same learning curve required by Office 2007.
The same menus are present in Office that were present in Mac Office 2004. But Microsoft has added new features to make your work easier in Office.
Office 2008's Elements Gallery
One of the most impressive new features is the Elements Gallery. The Elements Gallery makes it easy to insert document elements such as cover pages, headers, footers, bibliographies and tables of contents.
You can also insert quick tables, charts, WordArt and SmartArt Graphics via the Elements Gallery. New Office users will appreciate the Elements Gallery, as it takes a lot of guess work out of adding new elements to your documents.
With the Elements Gallery, you can select from predesigned templates for a professional look. The templates can also be altered to reflect your particular tastes and needs.
But, if you prefer to do your formatting from scratch, don’t fear. The Formatting Palette and other palettes are still available in Office 2008. So you have complete control over you documents’ appearance.
Additionally, you have access to a toolbar with frequently used commands, so there is no searching for basic formatting and file commands.
And for those who require advanced options, the menubar is still available in Office 2008. Of course, it takes a fair amount of knowledge and patience to dig through the menus to find the commands you need.
You can also insert quick tables, charts, WordArt and SmartArt Graphics via the Elements Gallery. New Office users will appreciate the Elements Gallery, as it takes a lot of guess work out of adding new elements to your documents.
With the Elements Gallery, you can select from predesigned templates for a professional look. The templates can also be altered to reflect your particular tastes and needs.
But, if you prefer to do your formatting from scratch, don’t fear. The Formatting Palette and other palettes are still available in Office 2008. So you have complete control over you documents’ appearance.
Additionally, you have access to a toolbar with frequently used commands, so there is no searching for basic formatting and file commands.
And for those who require advanced options, the menubar is still available in Office 2008. Of course, it takes a fair amount of knowledge and patience to dig through the menus to find the commands you need.
Office 2008 Document Format
As in Office 2007, Office 2008 features new document formats. Documents are saved in the Open XML format.
For many business users, this in itself is enough to force an upgrade. Other programs can open the documents. But the formatting is often not preserved. That leaves Office 2008 the best choice for working with Open XML documents on the Mac.
So, as more people switch to Office 2007, it will become a necessity for Mac users to upgrade to the latest Microsoft Office suite, too.
Unfortunately, the Open XML format is not perfect. You may still encounter compatibility issues when using Office 2007 documents in Office 2008, most notably in PowerPoint and Excel. Certain elements of documents may not be displayed correctly. Others may not be editable.
Let's hope that Microsoft works out these issues in a future update to Office 2008.
For many business users, this in itself is enough to force an upgrade. Other programs can open the documents. But the formatting is often not preserved. That leaves Office 2008 the best choice for working with Open XML documents on the Mac.
So, as more people switch to Office 2007, it will become a necessity for Mac users to upgrade to the latest Microsoft Office suite, too.
Unfortunately, the Open XML format is not perfect. You may still encounter compatibility issues when using Office 2007 documents in Office 2008, most notably in PowerPoint and Excel. Certain elements of documents may not be displayed correctly. Others may not be editable.
Let's hope that Microsoft works out these issues in a future update to Office 2008.
Office 2008's My Day Widget
One of the handiest new features in Office 2008 is the My Day widget. The widget is a small window that sits on your desktop. It remains open even after you close Entourage. You can even set it to open when you start your computer.
At a glance, you'll see your appointments and tasks for the day. If you want to jump ahead to later in the week, you can do that, too. Buttons make it easy to preview what's coming up in the next few days.
The My Day widget also lets you print. This is handy if you want a copy to refer to when you're away from your desk.
Of course, the calendaring tools and options are much more robust in Entourage. And the helpful Project Center is still present. So the My Day widget is much better for people with uncomplicated schedules or for those looking for an unobtrusive way to see what is on their agenda for a particular day.
At a glance, you'll see your appointments and tasks for the day. If you want to jump ahead to later in the week, you can do that, too. Buttons make it easy to preview what's coming up in the next few days.
The My Day widget also lets you print. This is handy if you want a copy to refer to when you're away from your desk.
Of course, the calendaring tools and options are much more robust in Entourage. And the helpful Project Center is still present. So the My Day widget is much better for people with uncomplicated schedules or for those looking for an unobtrusive way to see what is on their agenda for a particular day.
