Microsoft Unveils Office for Mac OS X
Thursday at MacWorld in New York, Microsoft previewed the next Macintosh version of Office. Still without an official name, Office 10 for Mac OS X is expected to be released shortly after Apple's 10.1 update to the operating system this fall. Unlike its predecessor, Office 10 is being developed exclusively for Mac OS X. Kevin Browne of Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit said the "trade-offs weren't worth it" to develop the suite for both OS X and OS 9.
Office 10 capitalizes on many advantages offered by Mac OS X. The interface has been updated to match Apple's Aqua, using features such as panels and dialog boxes attached to document windows. OS X's protected memory and multi-tasking provide Office with increased
performance, while the Quartz graphics engine offers enhanced tools for creating graphic-rich documents.