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You are here: MacNN Forums > News > Mac News > Microsoft releases public preview of Office 2016 for Mac

Microsoft releases public preview of Office 2016 for Mac
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Mar 5, 2015, 01:54 PM
 
Microsoft on Thursday released a public preview beta of the programs that make up the forthcoming Office 2016 for Mac. The new versions, which inherit many of the features from the last Windows release, offer a Yosemite-inspired look that support Retina displays, full-screen mode, and other modern Mac and OS X features. The preview versions are completely free to download and use, but are intended to give customers a sneak peek and to gather feedback from users ahead of the final release.

The company credits the work done to create the well-regarded iPad versions of Office with laying the groundwork for the Mac version's changes, saying that "a ton" of code is actually shared between the iOS and Mac versions of the programs. The new version for Mac also features cloud syncing that allows both the syncing of documents but also, for example, making recent iPad Office documents available in the "Open" dialog of the Mac version, or allowing for nearly real-time collaboration with invited contributors.



The suite of programs includes OneNote, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. No information on the various editions of the program or price points has been mentioned, but the package is expected to include and require a subscription to Office 365, the company's integrated web app and cloud-storage service that also incorporates automatic updating. The preview does not require any Office 365 subscription, and includes an integrated feedback feature to report problems or send compliments as desired, but does requires OS X 10.10 or later.

The work on redesigning the suite is most evident, thus far, in PowerPoint, which offers a new presentation mode that works in full-screen, new interactivity and transparency tools, a new animation sidebar and a general revamped look. Excel has gained some, but not all, of the features from Windows' Office 2013, such as Windows shortcuts (with an option to keep the Mac-specific shortcuts if preferred), functions, and a PivotTable Slicer. Quick Analysis, however, is at present not available on the Mac version.



The 2016 Office suite also includes the previously-released updated OneNote and Outlook programs, with no significant changes other than cosmetic alignment with the rest of the suite. The preview does not overwrite Office 2011 if a user has it installed, and the final edition is expected to be released at some point this summer.
     
GreenMnM
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Mar 5, 2015, 02:47 PM
 
And... The servers are already too bogged down to download the package. 24 hours estimated download time!
     
Inkling
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Mar 5, 2015, 03:12 PM
 
Oh great, just what I have been eagerly awaiting. Another cloud-based app to manage—Not. Work means occasionally using Word. Hopefully, these apps can be run without every bothering with setting up cloud storage.
Author of Untangling Tolkien and Chesterton on War and Peace
     
Charles Martin
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Mar 5, 2015, 03:13 PM
 
As with iOS updates, I usually give it a day (or try late at night) and generally have no trouble.
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ElectroTech
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Mar 5, 2015, 03:23 PM
 
Trojan Horse! Get me to take it in for free and then charge me up the yin yang after the beta is up? Not for me!
     
prl99
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Mar 5, 2015, 04:12 PM
 
I don't want anything to do with any Microsoft cloud services. I want my files on my Mac. That's it. I also will never pay for a subscription application especially from Microsoft.
     
Jeronimo2000
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Mar 5, 2015, 05:57 PM
 
@Inkling: Office 2016 (or Office 365 for that matter) is NOT a cloud-based app. It's the same old offline installer, which will install apps on your Mac which you can use without any net connection whatsoever. Yes, you can use the web-based (= watered-down) versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and you can store your stuff on One Drive, but you don't need to.

@prl99: And for you too, don't get all cranky. You can keep your files on your Mac. The Office 365 thing is actually not a bad deal, if you take a closer look at it, though I wasn't convinced at first either. But since I'm using Office on 3 Macs and 1 PC, it's a pretty good deal at least for me.

@ElectroTech: you're either joking or trolling. Or you don't get the concept of a "beta" or preview software in general.
     
Flying Meat
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Mar 5, 2015, 06:57 PM
 
Mailings? What the heck is that doing so prominently featured in the menu list for Word?
     
Bittyson
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Mar 5, 2015, 07:24 PM
 
Are they going to make it even worse again? Could they please just update the Office 2004 code and leave the features, but include Outlook? There is no reason to move closer to the current Windows version "features" of Word and Excel, which are a downgrade with each version.
     
pottymouth
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Mar 5, 2015, 08:12 PM
 
I'm with you, Bittyson. It does feel like it's all been downhill since 2004. And since introducing DOCX, I've had nothing but compatibility trouble with my clients and freelancers. I'd push drop it all and switch to RTF if I didn't have so many clients that have been suckered into using Sharepoint :/
     
DudeMac
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Mar 5, 2015, 08:17 PM
 
Snore! I'd rather use LibreOffice and be free of the Microsoft Office shackles!
     
Charles Martin
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Mar 5, 2015, 08:31 PM
 
Jeronimo2000: yes, it's rather shocking how undereducated people are about cloud services, optional web apps, storage, etc.

I'm not saying that cloud services are a good fit for everyone, but for the most part I find people have a *very* poor understanding of what things like Creative Cloud or Office 365 actually are, and instead buy into all sorts of strange beliefs and misconceptions.
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slapppy
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Mar 5, 2015, 09:46 PM
 
iWork and OpenOffice. No need for Microst Crap.
     
Ham Sandwich
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Mar 5, 2015, 10:19 PM
 
Cool, I'll be sure to avoid this update as well, considering that they still haven't fixed their extremely, ultra-confusing, "stuff all over the place" cluster*** toolbars...
     
DiabloConQueso
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Mar 6, 2015, 10:00 AM
 
"I hate the cloud!"

...says the person storing their thoughts and opinions in the cloud.
     
Jeronimo2000
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Mar 6, 2015, 10:04 AM
 
@Diablo: precisely. And surprisingly few people realize they've been storing their most private information – their personal email – in "the cloud" for many many years. I always like to ask those who are paranoid about their "privacy" who their email provider is. Often enough the answer is: "Gmail. Why?"
     
Jeronimo2000
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Mar 6, 2015, 10:06 AM
 
@Charles: isn't that your chance to educate the uneducated with a special "Here's what you don't get about all those cloudy internets" segment?
     
   
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