REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 12, 2003 — Microsoft Corp.’s Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) today announced three new editions of its award-winning productivity suite, Microsoft®
Office v. X for Mac, at new prices, providing great value and complete cross-platform compatibility. The latest Mac product offerings include Office v. X for Mac Professional Edition, Office v. X for Mac Student and Teacher Edition, and Office v. X for Mac Standard Edition. Along with the new Office v. X products, the Mac BU announced that Virtual PC for Mac is now shipping under the Microsoft brand.
“Customers told us what they wanted and we delivered. We are making it easier for customers with varying needs to experience the leading productivity suite on the Mac platform,”
said Roz Ho, general manager for the Macintosh Business Unit at Microsoft.
“By expanding our product line, different-sized businesses and home and education consumers can purchase an Office v. X product at an unbeatable price.”
“Mac OS X provides an easy-to-use, incredibly stable environment for productivity in the office and in the classroom,”
said Ron Okamoto, Apple Computer Inc.’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations.
“With expanded licensing and the inclusion of new applications, Microsoft’s three new editions of Office v. X for Mac provide exceptional value for consumers, professionals and especially educators and students.”
The new Office v. X editions offer users of Mac exceptional value and unparalleled compatibility:
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Office v. X Professional Edition. This edition offers the most complete cross-platform compatibility, including the full Office suite of native Mac OS X programs along with Virtual PC for Mac version 6.1, running Microsoft Windows®
XP Professional. The new edition is priced at ERP $499 (U.S.). Users of Microsoft Office 98 and Office 2001 for Mac may upgrade to Office v. X Professional Edition for $329 (U.S.). -
Office v. X Student and Teacher Edition. The second new edition provides users of Mac with the full Office suite at a price especially suited for education budgets. This Office edition is available to any student’s or teacher’s home for $149 (U.S.) and includes three licensed installations.
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Office v. X Standard Edition. The productivity suite Mac users have come to love and depend on is at a new lower price of $399 (U.S.) and includes four top-selling software programs — Word X, Excel X, PowerPoint®
X and Entourage (TM) X, an e-mail program designed exclusively for the Mac. Users of Microsoft Office 98 and Office 2001 for Mac may upgrade to Office v. X Standard Edition for $239 (U.S.).
“The Office v. X editions give price-sensitive retail customers more choices,”
said Roger Kay, vice president of client computing for IDC.
“Consumers are likely to respond well to better cross-platform compatibility at lower prices.”
Microsoft recognizes that users of Mac need to run Windows-based applications on their Mac. Today Virtual PC for Mac, which Microsoft acquired from Connectix Corp. in February 2003, officially joins the Mac BU’s award-winning product portfolio. Virtual PC for Mac delivers true compatibility with Windows by enabling users of Macintosh to run Windows-based software applications, including business, education, Internet and home applications, all from their Mac.
The new Office v. X and Virtual PC lineup will be available at Mac resellers, including Apple retail stores, CompUSA, MacWarehouse and MacMall, beginning the week of Aug. 18 in the United States and worldwide after Sept. 1. Office v. X Professional Edition will be offered in English only. Office v. X Student and Teacher Edition will be available in English, French, German, Spanish and Swedish.
About Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit
The Macintosh Business Unit at Microsoft is a leading developer of software and online products for the Macintosh platform. With the largest Mac-focused development team outside Apple Computer Inc., the Mac BU comprises approximately 150 full-time Mac product experts. Committed to the Macintosh platform since 1997, the Mac BU delivers award-winning products developed to meet the unique needs of users of Mac. Current products include the Microsoft Office v. X for Mac lineup, Internet Explorer 5.2 for Mac, MSN®
Messenger for Mac version 3.5 and Virtual PC for Mac version 6.1. More information about the Mac BU and Microsoft Macintosh products is available at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, Windows, PowerPoint, Entourage and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Apple, Mac and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp .
Support for the New Editions of Microsoft Office v. X for Mac
“At a technology-focused school like Rochester Institute of Technology, our education is fast-paced and always changing. Most of my classes are spent behind the glow of a monitor. The clean interface of Microsoft Office v. X for Mac allows me to quickly rip through documents, spreadsheets and slides without disturbing my workflow. It allows me to manage information in many powerful ways, keeping me organized in my classes and on the cutting edge of my major.”
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Sarah Friedlander
New Media Publishing Major
Rochester Institute of Technology
“Microsoft’s Mac team makes great products. Literally, I use Word and Entourage every day, all day — it’s how I communicate to the world. Entourage is an incredible program that is open all the time on my desktop.”
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Lorene Romero
Vendor Relations, User Advisory Board
Apple
“Teachers are constantly looking for top-notch software to enhance students’ learning experience in the classroom. I consistently recommend Office v. X for Mac to teachers, and now that it is at an estimated retail price of $149, it will surely fit in line with any education budget.”
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David MacNeill
Editorial Director
MacWarehouse
“I constantly hear from customers about their need to run Windows-based applications on their Mac. Office v. X Professional Edition provides Mac users with a complete solution to get their work done, without leaving their Mac. Plus, it’s a great value at an estimated $499 — the price Office v. X alone used to be at retail.”
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Rory Zaks
Senior Vice President
MacMall
“I develop applications for university students on a Mac that are compiled for both Mac and Windows. I have found Virtual PC for Mac to be a simple, fast and reliable way to test the Windows versions of my programs.”
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Dave Hurley
Senior Computer Specialist
Department of Biology
University of Washington
