Ondrej Holzman There haven't been many things that have given Mac users more goosebumps than running into Word, Excel or PowerPoint in recent years. But now Microsoft has finally released a new version of its office suite for Mac, which should unite both platforms.
On Thursday, a free and freely available beta was released that shows what Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac will look like. We should see the final form in the summer, either as part of an Office 365 subscription or for a single price that has not yet been specified. But at the moment you everyone can try the new Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Mac for free.
While Windows itself, as well as iOS and Android mobile systems, have received significant attention and regular updates from Microsoft in recent years, time seems to have stood still for office applications on the Mac. The problem was not only in the appearance and the user interface, but the most important thing was the not quite 100% mutual compatibility between the individual systems.
Brand new versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, which connect the interface from Windows with the one known from OS X Yosemite, are now supposed to change all that. Following the pattern of Office 2013 for Windows, all applications have a ribbon as the main control element and are connected to OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud service. This also enables live collaboration between multiple users.
Microsoft also made sure to support things like Retina displays and full-screen mode in OS X Yosemite.
Word 2016 is very similar to its iOS and Windows versions. In addition to the already mentioned online collaboration, Microsoft has also improved the structure of comments, which are now easier to read. More significant news is brought by Excel 2016, which will be especially welcomed by those who know or are skipping over Windows. Keyboard shortcuts now remain the same on both platforms. We can also find slight innovations in the PowerPoint presentation tool, but in general it is mainly a convergence with the Windows version.
You can download an almost three-gigabyte "preview" package of what Office 2016 for Mac will look like on the Microsoft website for free. For now, this is only a beta version, so we can expect to see some changes by the summer, for example in terms of performance and speed of applications. As part of the package, Microsoft will also deliver OneNote and Outlook.
Unfortunately, Czech is not included in the current beta version, but Czech autocorrect is available.
Microsoft's steps are becoming more and more sympathetic and the new Office looks good. They could just get rid of that storage disk already
A storage diskette is simply a classic. If Microsoft changed it, half of the female employees in the government and non-government sectors would commit suicide because they would think that the new Office cannot save a document.
:-Dinu, it's such a cute anachronism, because most of the younger employees probably haven't seen a floppy disk with their own eyes :) you can do it the same way as they sometimes say to dial a telephone number.
Probably not. However, these ladies still know that if they want
to save the document must click "on that strange square". If the square became, say, an ellipse, there would suddenly be a huge problem in the world... :)
Could someone please explain to me reasonably why I (as an ordinary user, not an expert) should use quite expensive programs from Microsoft, when I have many similar ones from Apple for free?
I don't use office programs that often, but I can still say that Google docs, for example, are much better than iwork (mainly a spreadsheet and word processor).
For example? Because I've been using iWork at school for eight hours a day for over two years now, and I haven't come across anything that I haven't done or gotten around...
the period of use of the program does not say anything about the way and scope of its use.
Therefore, I wrote that I use it mainly in school, from which anyone who has passed at least high school could conclude that this means everything from presentations, to simple text documents, to calculating mathematics and physics in Numbers ...
so it's enough for school, but as they wrote above, it's not possible for more complex work in a company, work team, office, institution.
Automatic switching of correction for multilingual documents, macros, sprinkling of complex documents, connection to Active Directory (retrieving contact information from AD, etc.), etc., etc., etc., etc.
You just want to argue here that iWork is top and Microsoft sucks, see? I must use Office for Mac, because thanks to it I have compatibility with the rest of the world. Dot.
God, I don't want to argue. I'm just trying to rationally figure out why I should use it. I've never used them so I want to see if it makes sense to buy. Don't get mad now ;)
Well, it seems to me that yes :). But it's quite similar to entering a discussion about a new Mercedes talking about the fact that I have a Superb and why I should want to buy a Mercedes (well, maybe it's not the ideal comparison, but...)
Of course, iWorks is a great package (I use it now and then) - and as long as you make notes for yourself, or just submit the work offline or in PDF, there is nothing to solve and you don't need Office - at least in terms of added value in functions.
I need Office on Mac because I collaborate with a lot of (ordinary) people on texts, and even if Google Docs would be perfect for collaboration, it's simply much faster to send it to each other in Word with tracked changes, because a lot of people are on something taught and untaught is Docs, and I won't send it to them in Pages when they have a PC. At school, we have to go to an awful lot of presentations and team seminars, everyone has Office, so without Office for Mac I could only look at a bunch of files in Dropbox that I couldn't edit. That way I'm 100% compatible with them and it doesn't matter if I'm working in bed from a Mac or from my desk from a Windows PC. :) And since most of my subjects at school are in English, the trouble-free switching between languages is also very convenient for me.
Why you can't use Pages at school for example:
1) Comments cannot be printed or exported to PDF (only to Doc/DocX.
2) It is not possible to create internal links (bookmarks) to parts of documents. For example, the text "see chapter PowerPC page X". With the X changing depending on the current chapter position in the document and of course the working link in the PDF when you click on that page number.
3) It is not possible to do automatic numbering of tables/figures "Fig. X" or "Tab. X"
4) Can't adjust chapter numbering to "1.1" format - no dot at the end - but this is irrelevant.
5) When exporting to PDF, web links are practically "invisible" until you put the mouse cursor over them (and you can't control it).
6) There are no text styles - for example for creating an index or a dictionary (useful in a diploma or bachelor's thesis).
...I think we could continue like this...
Of course, you can do without automatic numbering of images - you just do it manually, but when you write a large text (for example, like me, more than 100 pages), then it's a mega-voucher!
PS: Even in recent versions, if there was a unit abbreviation in the table, for example square meter. So after exporting to PDF, the cell where this text should have been was empty!!!
...I got into trouble in my term paper at school because of this.
As the compatibility between Office and iWork is not perfect. If you're a regular home user, you probably won't run into it that much, but if you're using slightly more complex documents, it's a huge problem. In addition, iWork is functionally very limited (e.g. there is no correction of multilingual documents, etc.). Again – the average home user probably won't get it. Office finds full strength especially in the corporate sphere. And there is the Office standard for which iWork or anything else on the mac was not enough.
Yes, proofreading multilingual documents is pretty miserable, I have to admit…
There are a huge number of functions that Office offers compared to the competition, but they will only be used by either document fanatics or people in the business sphere. Personally, I can also get by with iWork, however, at work I see every day what iWork can't do and Office can do. But even so, the biggest stumbling block is compatibility with Office (especially in the absence of macros)
It's true that it's hard to ensure 100% compatibility with a world overwhelmed by Windows. As for macros, I don't see that much of a problem, especially when I know that most larger institutions, whether they are companies or schools, ban macros because of the danger. I once did a project for school and it was rejected because of macros, so I don't have that much experience with it. Of course, it probably depends on the circumstances.
Macros are, for example, commonly used in the baking industry. I don't know of a bank that doesn't use them in their spreadsheets. A huge number of companies still use them as well. It is true that releasing something into the world with a macro is probably not the best idea, but they are still used internally. It's generally true that they're being phased out, but I still know from experience that it's a huge problem for many Mac users. And mainly those who work in finance.
As a regular user of MS Office, you do not need it. You can handle your CV, application and calculation of family expenses in iwork or open/libre office /…. cool. But if you use OSX in a corporate Windows environment, you cannot avoid office. the same if you need proper tables. Excel has no competitor. On the other hand, 99% of home users do not require such things from a spreadsheet.
One more reason occurred to me. If they switch from win to OSX and get to know MS office, they don't need to learn anything else. To be honest, Numbers didn't suit me. Pages is possible.
Likewise, Outlook is a successful client. A bit robust, but the search in particular is very fast. The built-in mail client on OSX doesn't handle that.
For office 2016 on MAC, I'm curious how MS will deal with optimization. Because the current office 2011 is a tragedy. A larger table with a few hundred thousand cells and it doesn't work anymore. At the same time, on win it works perfectly fine on the same hw under virtualization.
Great, thanks for the reply. I was looking for something like this :)
I would also like to add that Microsoft is not the only one to blame for the absence of current Office on BOTH APPLE platforms - on the contrary, it really tried for the last 2 years, but APPLE strongly supported it, obstructing it wherever possible... And letting everything go at the moment when they realized how abysmally backward iWork is….
IMHO. For Apple, iWork is not a priority.
But again, I hope they will realize that if Apple wants to be some kind of, at least minimal competition, then they have to step a little bit into the development of iWork.
They certainly won't change anything - because they give it for free... And have you seen APPLE do any real charity? I don't - they give it for free through advertising, but they give it to the development according to my minimum - they realized that 30% of the price of OFFICE What a billion people quickly and happily buy is actually a better deal. I was surprised that they worked on it for so long - I was waiting for it 2 years ago, but the last time they tried to blur it with iWork...
Great, I'll try it right away, the last office was already very outdated and without retina support
and what is new? it always looks like my 2011.
I am asking the author to add information when he already writes "right in the title"
They're catching up with their Windows counterparts"
some description of what is planned or implemented and how it differs from the previous version,
I will try to download. What do you think about the license in the full version? I hope they don't take over the business model from the previous version.
Judging by how the new Outlook works, it will only be 365.
Somehow I can't download the file. Can someone save it somewhere? Thank you
I've tried several times to learn how to work with iWork, but I've never been able to - even as a home user. As for usability in the company, office is a must - unfortunately.
Unfortunately, I haven't had to use MS Office for about 3 years. Libre Office was enough for everything I needed :-)
Can someone pls upload it somewhere? It takes forever to even start downloading and then it's 20kB/s.
And is it possible to synchronize Outlook with contacts and calendar?
Well, I tried to switch from MSO. Libre office is good, but since I open and sometimes edit a lot of documents on my mobile, I use Google docs. Everything looks the same both on a computer and on a mobile phone. Same functions, formats, just everything. Sure, there are fewer functions than in MSO, but what's the point of having clouds of functions and then you won't be able to display such a document on a mobile device. I'm not even talking about editing.
Have you tried exporting the table to PDF in Google sheet, but the grid is not even visible? Quite a major issue :( Google says it's a Mac OS Preview problem :-/ I like Google docs a lot, but some essential little things are missing a lot :(
That's fine, you just have to check "no gridlines" in the menu that pops up for export
Yes, that's what Google Architect also claims, but the result is still with a grid :) On Mac, you can see the grid in the PDF, but not in the same PDF in WIN.
So it works for me on Mac, but I registered another problem with the export. Otherwise I probably can't help...
And have you tried Adobe Reader for Mac?
By default, I also use Preview, but I know that Preview can scatter a few invoices, etc., that I have, while Adobe Reader is OK...
They also look nice graphically. So if it will be possible to buy each part separately (only Word or Powerpoint) without having to install a billion other unnecessary things, that will be great. At the same time, if it will cost 400-550 CZK, I am willing to buy it. But then again, it will be their classic super bargain price for students starting at 2500, so they can really kiss you know what.
Consent would be enough for me through Excel, through applications. For the rest, iWork is enough for me.
Can you download it? It always stops for me after approx. 200 mb.
It doesn't work, just Microsoft :)
It got taken down, but I really love these messages. How well can any new version of OS X or new iOS download right after release. No way - just Apple?
Just Apple :) You mustn't experience it like that, Mr. Solomon!
I'm not the one experiencing it again, if you didn't answer me, I immediately forgot about it :-) It's just that similar reactions never cease to amaze me :-)
I would correct: Everyone and free. Those who care about the functionality of the machines do not have 10.10.x.
So better everyone with Yosemite and free.
Does anyone know if the new preview includes Czech or Slovak spelling checker? One of the worst features of Office 2011 is its limited local usability – it only includes a Czech spellcheck (but not a grammar check) and Slovak support is completely missing. For me, the biggest benefit of the new version would be the expansion of support for Czech and Slovak orthography.
I looked into it a bit, and the preview includes spellcheck for Czech and Slovak, but no grammar check. The Czech thesaurus is also part of the preview. Support for the Czech language therefore remained at the level of Office 2011, and without the thesaurus, Slovak was also added. Hopefully, the support for our languages will deepen in the final version, after all, Microsoft has these tools and they have been part of Office for Windows for a long time, so I don't understand why they are not included in Office for Mac.
Hello to those who can't download it, so I uploaded it to webshare, see the link ;)
I wish you a pleasant trial.
https://webshare.cz/#/file/2ym3577457
We're at that tabloid speech again. Headline like a cow that Office 2016 is finally here, but in reality it's just a "preview" beta. The first paragraph is in a similar vein. The hell are you going to catch up to the tabloids in using misleading and essentially meaningless headlines? Do you need this? This used to be a pretty serious site.
That's how you can tell that it's really a Preview version. Constant app crashes, jagged font, etc.
checking Slovak spelling from Office 2011 also works great
But I hope to integrate full Slovak language support into the final product
Well, I would say that the now released version does not catch up much yet. Most of the things that bother me in Word 2011 live on happily in this version. This version, in my opinion, is just a graphical repaint of the previous version.
After so many years, Microsoft managed at least to preview the "new" Office. Disbelievers.
I have to laugh like some moron that Microsoft didn't put in there and that doesn't work, like in Windows. Why do you have Apple when you still need Windows products to function? Somarina not?
Have you ever heard the word "collaboration"? When I have to work with someone, I need the same thing to work for me as for others. And why do I have Apple products? Well, simply because I am satisfied with them.
Dear John, you probably don't know that the first office was made for Apple, right? because otherwise you wouldn't ask such a question. :-)
Dear John, That is not quite accurate. Most of the current programs in Office had their first version for DOS. The exception was Excel, which started on the Mac. From the beginning, Office was just a bundle of unrelated applications, and yes, they started selling it on Mac about half a year earlier than on Windows. However, the fact is that the vast majority of Office users are on Windows. And that's why it's absolutely essential that the same functions work for me on a Mac as on Windows.
That's the same problem as why Slovak goes to the forum in CR, right? :)
Apple is suitable for normal operation at home. It still has no justification in the corporate sphere. (I mean computers) On the contrary, iPhones and iPads dominate the corporate sphere, and the combination of Apple and IBM in the development of programs for businesses will strengthen the influence of the two mentioned devices.
I installed everything according to the instructions, but Mr. Outlook, it writes a message:
Microsoft Error Reporting log version: 2.0
Error Signature:
Exception: EXC_BAD_ACCESS
Date/Time: 2015-03-09 12:10:46 +0000
Application Name: Microsoft Outlook
Application Bundle ID: com.microsoft.outlook
Application Signature: OPIM
ApplicationVersion: 15.8.150303
Crashed Module Name: OutlookCore
Crashed Module Version: 15.8.150303
Crashed Module Offset: 0x0003d1c4
Blame Module Name: OutlookCore
Blame Module Version: 15.8.150303
Blame Module Offset: 0x0003d1c4
Application LCID: 1033
Extra app info: Reg=en Loc=0x0409
Crashed thread: 3
Does anyone have any advice on this?
Delete and get rid of this blank.
Well, the first thing that MS pissed me off right after the installation is that my original 2011s were smeared with these ones, even though the ofiko website says that I can use 2016 and 2011 as well... I have to say that I'm glad I didn't throw it away for 2011 money and cost me only a few clicks...
Does Office 2016 offer a check of Czech spelling, including typographical errors (double space after the word) and punctuation (just like the Windows edition)?
Thanks for the reply.