Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 20, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The updates include:
Microsoft Office Excel
· Compatibility: Thanks to the update, files can now be exchanged even better and more easily between Excel 2008 for Mac and Excel 2003 as well as Excel 2007 for Windows.
· Custom error bars: The formatting option for error bars in data series has been restored.
· Printing: Complex elements in Excel 2008 workbooks are now printed even more reliably.
Microsoft Entourage
· Calendar: Thanks to several improvements, the calendar is clearer and includes an all-day reminder function for recurring appointments.
· Exchange Server support: Microsoft also optimized a number of functions for Exchange Server support. Synchronization in particular has been further improved: attachments from Exchange Server messages can be deleted or messages edited via AppleScript, with the changes then synchronized on the server.
· Email images: Images created with other tools can be viewed and sent through Entourage.
Microsoft Office Word
· Printing: Precise alignment of tables with cell shading is easily possible with the relevant update.
· Document overview: Document selection is now more reliable and faster.
· Notebook layout: Formatting selection, recording status and a range of display options have been updated.
Microsoft Office PowerPoint
· Printing: Large presentations can now be printed much faster; Microsoft reduced printing time tenfold. Printing on high-resolution printers is also no problem, as software updates prevent crashes.
· Viewing on mobile phones: Users can now view their Mac .PPTX files on Windows Mobile-based mobile phones.
· AppleScript: PowerPoint selections can now be used in AppleScript, enabling specific scripts based on the respective PowerPoint selection.
All updates are available free of charge to Office 2008 for Mac users at: http://www.microsoft.com/germany/mac/downloads.mspx
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Visual Basic to return in future versions
Visual Basic will again be supported starting with the next version of Office for Mac. With Office 2008 for Mac, MacBU had already improved support for other scripting tools such as Automator and AppleScript. VBA support is extremely important to users who want to use macros across different platforms, and will therefore return in the next Office for Mac version.
“User feedback has been fantastic: since Office 2008 for Mac launched in February, we have sold almost three times as many applications as at the Office 2004 for Mac launch,” said Craig Eisler, General Manager of Microsoft’s MacBU. “We are already planning future Office for Mac versions and working closely with users. We will also expand the MacBU team to ensure that Office for Mac remains the application suite that lets customers work most productively, including maximum compatibility.”
