BusinessWeek: Office 2004 makes for an Enterprise Macintosh


The plaudits keep coming for Microsoft's Mac Office 2004. This time, BusinessWeek casts its eye over the new suite.

Finally, says the article, Mac users have an Office that's the equivalent of Windows. Never mind previous claims that Mac versions of Office were claimed to be 'superior' to the Windows editions (although there was some truth in that). This time. it's for real.

For BusinessWeek, Office 2004 "could even persuade some corporate technology managers to take a fresh look at Apple." What's more, it demonstrates Microsoft - even without a contractual obligation - is committed to the Mac/OS X platform, regardless of their cessation of IE development.

One plus for enterprise environments is Entourage 2004's integration with recent versions of MS's Exchange server - a must for many mixed networks. No, it's not as fast as Windows' interoperability with Exchange, but it works.

Did Keynote force MS to make PowerPoint 2004 better? Maybe. Improved formatting and other touch-ups mean the Mac edition may have surpassed its Windows counterpart, according to BusinessWeek.

The conclusion? "For ease of use, reliability, and security, Mac OS X is the best desktop operating system available today." But there's a sting in the tail: "Still, the Mac is not a good choice if you depend heavily on a Windows-only application."

Analysis: In relation to the last comment, Access aside, we can't think of that much the Mac lacks in terms of a software equivalent. Sure, custom apps might mean your business is Windows Windows Windows. But since Office forms the core of most day-to-day work environments, the arguments for Mac grow stronger.

Then again, you haven't forgotten all those MCSEs floating around in the IS division, have you? The day the Linux guys, who often tote a PowerBook G4, displace them will be a happy one indeed. For all of us.