Right on schedule, the Mac OS X-native version of Microsoft Corp.s Office suite hit store shelves on Monday.
The Office X suite, has been tuned to the Carbon APIs in Mac OS X, Apple Computer Inc.s Unix-based operating system. It carries a price tag of $500, and upgrades are $300 each.
Until Dec. 31, Microsoft is offering a “technology guarantee” to customers who bought Office 2001 for Mac or its individual component applications since Oct. 24. The guarantee, which can be downloaded from Microsofts Mactopia site, lets users get a free copy of the equivalent Office X for Mac product.
The new software requires Mac OS X 10.1, the latest incremental revision of Mac OS X that Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivered at Septembers Seybold Seminars/San Francisco.
In addition to Carbon compliance, Microsoft Office X for Mac includes support for Mac OS Xs Aqua interface and new features for the component applications in the Mac suite: Word, the Entourage X e-mail client and PIM, Excel spreadsheet, and PowerPoint presentation package.