In a way , you have to palpate a little moment sorry for Microsoft . Delays in make software out the doorway are a fact of life in the technical school businesses , whether you ’re a lilliputian developer or a Redmond - base software package colossus superintend by one of the world ’s rich men . Yet , when Microsoft ’s Mac Business Unit announce that it ’s push back a planned discharge — as it did Thursday when it check the release of Office 2008 from the 2nd half of this year until January 2008 — people attempt to find the shroud meaning behind the tidings .
Does this imply Microsoft is get ready to drop Mac growing altogether?(Hardly.)Is it because the Mac Business Unit throw gm a little less than two months ago?(Not fit in to the company.)Is it cosmic payback for drop support for Visual Basic scripting from the new version of Office?(That seems unlikely , and I really wish you ’d get back to work , Mr. Griffiths . )
Microsoft qualify the grounds to delay Office 2008 as a quality - push back conclusion brought about by what new GM Craig Eisler anticipate “ a stark tempest of events . ” In plus to explicate for Intel - based Macs , the Mac BU also had to deal with a alteration in file - formats for Office plus a permutation - over from the CodeWarrior surroundings to Apple ’s Xcode . That ’s an awful flock to dish out with in one update , so it ’s understandable that Microsoft might require a little more time to make certain everything ’s in order .
And when you guess about it , this delay is really not much of one . Back in January , Microsoft targeted the 2d - one-half of 2007 as the release date . I took that to intend capitulation - ish , which would have reset the society the tail - death of back - to - school gross sales and made Office 2008 available for the holiday shopping time of year . ( Although I ca n’t imagine an office - productivity suite of any sort being a terribly pop option among gift - givers : “ Wow — spreadsheets and display slides ! You should n’t have ! ” ) Rolling out Office 2008 at the January 2008Macworld Conference & Expomeans a holdup of eight to 12 week — a blink of the optic in the greater strategy of things . If it means a unchanging , urbane update instead of reviving Word 6 for a newfangled millennium , I ’m happy to await a little while longer .
Yes , as my colleague Dan Morenpoints out , Office will be one of the last marquee Mac programs to add aboriginal compatibility with Intel - based hardware . But it would still have that differentiation even if Microsoft rolled it out on time . If you ca n’t be other to the company , you might as well be in good configuration by the time you get there .
Besides , there ’s a fiddling less press on Microsoft to do a worldwide rendering of Office than there was on , say , Adobe . High - end professional were delay upgrades to young Mac computer hardware until Photoshop , Illustrator , InDesign , et al.ran natively on Intel - based machines ; I doubt people are holding out for a edition of Office to do alike . In fact , other than for the emblematic purpose of having such a major cortege of covering hightail it universally on all Macs , I do n’t recall take heed much of a popular demand for an Intel - native Office .
And if I were Microsoft , that would care me a bit . Sure , it ’s never pleasant to get grief from your customers about a production delay . But is n’t that safe than a shrug ?
For every day that Office 2008 does n’t occur out that ’s another twenty-four hours for users to get accustomed to not having it — and to inquire whether they even need Office in the first place . Speaking personally , I ’ve been getting a little tired of Entourage ’s eccentricities . primitively , I was planning to see if Office 2008 improved matters any ; now I ’m wondering if it might be estimable to use the next six calendar month to search choice . I ca n’t believe I ’m the only Mac drug user mulling over that considerateness .
thing are far unlike than they were 10 years ago , when thedisembodied head of Bill Gates appeared at Macworld Expo Bostonto announce what was fundamentally a bail - out of Apple . Apple just had its best - ever one-quarter for Mac sales , something it achieved without much of a boost from a sealed office - productiveness entourage . I ’m not saying Microsoft is becoming irrelevant to the Mac political program , but it does seem like the 800 - pound gorilla has slimmed down recently .
So is Thursday ’s announcement of a delay Office release regretful news ? Not for Mac substance abuser , that I can tell . Whether it ’s bad news for Microsoft is another matter whole .
