Microsoft will replace Entourage with Outlook for Mac in its next version of Microsoft Office for Mac. As an intermediate step, Microsoft has released Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition, which provides new syncing capabilities while setting the stage for porting users to Outlook. The new Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition will supplement the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Editions.Microsoft
is planning to replace Entourage for Mac with a new version of Outlook for Mac
later in 2009. The Outlook for Mac e-mail application will ship with the next
version of the Microsoft Office for Mac productivity suite, according to an
Aug. 13 statement from Microsoft. A shipping date has not been announced.
Before the release of the new full version of Mac Office, Microsoft will
issue Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition to supplement the already-offered
Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Editions. Those currently using Entourage
will now have access to Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition,
which incorporates reliability improvements, Exchange Server support, and the
ability to sync Tasks, Notes and Categories.
Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition will ship on Sept. 15.
"It is an exciting time for the MacBU [Macintosh Business Unit], with
updates to our current products and the first public announcement about the
next version of Office for Mac," Eric Wilfrid, general manager for
Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit, said in a statement. "Outlook for Mac
will bring features our customers have long requestedsuch as Information
Rights Management."
Outlook for Mac will include features such as a "high-speed file-based
database with support for backing up files with Time Machine and Spotlight
searching," and Information Rights Management to help "prevent
sensitive information from being [distributed] to or read by people who do not
have permission."
The introduction of Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition, will
apparently be the first step in porting Mac users to Outlook.
"Microsoft Outlook and Exchange Server have been a cornerstone of
communications and collaboration for our enterprise customers," Takeshi
Numoto, corporate vice president of the Office product management group, said
in a statement. "Today's release of the Web Services Edition strengthens
Exchange connectivity for Entourage customers and sets the stage for the move
to a new applicationOutlook for Mac."
In the productivity-application department, the upcoming Office 2008 for Mac
Business Edition will include new features such as Microsoft Document
Connection for Mac, designed to "improve access [to] and browsing [of]
documents on SharePoint Products and Technologies and Microsoft Office Live
Workspace."
The free version of Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition, can be
downloaded here.
