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Microsoft has announced it will release this northern summer a native Exchange Server access solution for Apple's Unix-based Mac OS X operating system.

The initial Exchange access solution for OS X will give users of Entourage X, an e-mail and personal information manager designed for the Mac, an enhanced set of tools for communication, PIM and scheduling in a mixed PC and Mac work environment, according to Microsoft. Current versions of Entourage X must use POP or IMAP to access an Exchange server and cannot use the shared calendaring functions.

The software giant said the OS X-native Exchange access support, in particular, will be a boon to enterprise customers with its shared calendaring capability.

Exchange is Microsoft's messaging and collaboration server offering for companies ranging from small businesses to enterprises. Other Exchange updates planned for the upcoming OS X solution include a directory-service lookup feature, enabling searches of global address lists, as well as the ability to synchronize the Entourage X calendar and address book with Exchange for offline use, according to Microsoft. Text rendering in e-mail received from Outlook for Windows users is also slated be improved.

News source: iTnews - Microsoft to offer Exchange access for Mac OS X

The OS X-native Exchange access solution will be compatible with Exchange Server 2000 and higher versions. Outlook 2001 for Mac will continue to be the Exchange solution for users of Mac OS 9, Microsoft said.

The announcement of an Exchange access solution for OS X reflects Microsoft's continued support of Apple's Macintosh platform. Questions have swirled around the Mac's future with Microsoft products since a five-year software pact between Apple and Microsoft expired last August. Under the 1997 agreement, Microsoft agreed to develop software and tools for the Mac plus invest $150 million in non-voting Apple stock. Microsoft no longer holds that investment in Apple.

Microsoft also named a new general manager for its Macintosh Business Unit, Roz Ho, last December after the 150-employee division's previous leader, Kevin Browne, left to join Microsoft's video game unit.

However, Microsoft has kept rolling out Mac products. In November 2001, the company shipped an OS X-native version of its Office suite, dubbed Office v. X, and over the next year introduced MSN Messenger 3.0 for Mac, Palm handheld synchronization for Entourage X and the Remote Desktop Connection client. In addition, the Mac Business Unit released a stand-alone version of Entourage X last month, and it plans to deliver MSN for Mac OS X in early 2003.

"The single most popular request we've heard since launching Office v. X is that our customers need an Exchange solution for Mac OS X," Tim McDonough, director of marketing and business development for Microsoft's Mac Business Unit, said in a statement. "We recognize that many of our customers use Exchange for their server-side communications and need a solution that's made specifically for Mac OS X. By building the Exchange solution into Entourage X, we're giving users of Mac core Exchange functionality and cross-platform compatibility in an e-mail client designed to meet their needs."