The latest version of Microsoft’s Office suite has launched for the Mac, but if you are not an Office 365 subscriber, you will be waiting until the fall to get your hands on a one-time license.
Office 2016 for Mac has been released for 139 countries in 16 languages, but on its official website, the software giant has made it available to those on its Office 365 plan. Those looking for one-time license purchases will have to wait until September.
The refresh includes updates to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote with design that, according to the Microsoft, retains the look and feel of those familiar with PC versions. while taking advantage of certain Mac-centric features.
“Mac users will appreciate the modernized Office experience and the integration of Mac capabilities like Full Screen view and Multi-Touch gestures,” Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president for the Office Client Applications and Services team said in an official blog post. He added that the program would also fully support the Retina display.
Koenigsbauer highlighted several updated features coming to the programs.
First, Word for Mac will feature a new Design tab to make use of layouts, colours and fonts. The program will also allow for instantaneous collaboration with threaded comments and conversations within the document.
Going after big data, Excel will feature a new “PivotTable Slicers” function to filter and look for patterns in large volumes of data.
Meanwhile, PowerPoint will have an updated Presenter View as well as a new animation pane, and Outlook improves on its conversation view.
According to Microsoft, the program are all connected via cloud and have cross platform compatibility, including on tablets and phones.
