Third Office for Mac 2011 Beta Reveals New Icons, Splash Screens, more


Recommended Posts

Here are some screenshots of Office 2011; it definitely has more 'teh snappier', very fast and stable, I definitely would purchase it once it comes out:

http://cid-1f0dd001849fd688.photos.live.com/self.aspx/Office^_2011

What I love the most is very Mac like it is - it no longer stands out like a sore thumb like previous versions. No problems when opening up docx files, outlook is really fast. Over all it is a wonderful suite - hopefully we'll see it being released soon :)

Here are some screenshots of Office 2011; it definitely has more 'teh snappier', very fast and stable, I definitely would purchase it once it comes out:

http://cid-1f0dd0018...px/Office^_2011

What I love the most is very Mac like it is - it no longer stands out like a sore thumb like previous versions. No problems when opening up docx files, outlook is really fast. Over all it is a wonderful suite - hopefully we'll see it being released soon :)

I notice those are shots of Beta 5, which means it will probably be leaked soon. The splash screens appear to have been altered a bit, too.

I notice those are shots of Beta 5, which means it will probably be leaked soon. The splash screens appear to have been altered a bit, too.

Yeah, I got a case of the guilts and have quickly deleted it off my machine lol

It was very fast, and hopefully we'll see it being released within the next 3-4months - it'll make a great early Christmas/Graduation present.

They?re actually working their asses off really hard for this version, eh? But they had a LOT to catch up. I mean, interface-wise, graphics-wise and optimization-wise.

Now, there?s still room for optimization (64-bit, 100% Cocoa if it?s not that already), and there?s still no QuickParts in Word... strange :p

They?re actually working their asses off really hard for this version, eh? But they had a LOT to catch up. I mean, interface-wise, graphics-wise and optimization-wise.

Now, there?s still room for optimization (64-bit, 100% Cocoa if it?s not that already), and there?s still no QuickParts in Word... strange :p

I think the biggest issue they have is that they don't do updates often enough. On the Windows side of things Messenger gets updated 2 or 3 times between each Office release. MacBU only updates Messenger for Mac maybe once, if we're lucky, between Office releases. Not enough developers, perhaps?

It's not like it's not in their best interest to keep up to date, even if it is a rival platform. The worse their alternative products are, the more likely Mac users are going to switch to open source or other alternatives like Adium and OpenOffice.

the new beta is even slower then the last, and by like a MILE too.. soo slow. typing litterally is laggy.

Just out of curiosity, do you have the system specifications? I've noticed some laggy behaviour but I'm wondering whether it has to do with Microsoft tripping over bugs/poor performance in the OpenGL stack which traces back to the graphics card when it comes to some of the effects that Microsoft is using; Core Animation I have a guess they're using for that cool 'flip' effect with the template windows :)

Rumour has it that 10.6.5 will include updated nVidia drivers so hopefully that'll fix up those performance issues (from the Valve engineer on their forum) - so maybe it'll be a situation 'wait and see' - Microsoft could be waiting for Apple to release some updates to address some of the performance issues.

Just out of curiosity, do you have the system specifications? I've noticed some laggy behaviour but I'm wondering whether it has to do with Microsoft tripping over bugs/poor performance in the OpenGL stack which traces back to the graphics card when it comes to some of the effects that Microsoft is using; Core Animation I have a guess they're using for that cool 'flip' effect with the template windows :)

Rumour has it that 10.6.5 will include updated nVidia drivers so hopefully that'll fix up those performance issues (from the Valve engineer on their forum) - so maybe it'll be a situation 'wait and see' - Microsoft could be waiting for Apple to release some updates to address some of the performance issues.

Laptop

model: Late 2006 Macbook

operating system: Mac OSX Snow Leopard 10.6.4

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2ghz

RAM: 4gb Corsair @ 667

wireless N: airport extreme

video card: Intel GMA950

sound card: Intel High Definition Audio

HDD: Seagate 320gb 7200RPM

speakers: Shure srh840 headphones, Ultimate Ears MetroFi 170

DVD/Blu Ray Drive: SuperDrive

Netbook

model: Dell Mini 10v

operating system: Mac OSX Snow Leopard 10.6.4

CPU: Atom N270 @ 1.6 ghz

RAM: 1 gb DDR Ram @ 533mhz

wireless G: Dell 1397 WLAN 802.11g ? Half mini-card

video card: Intel 945GSE UMA Graphics Media Accelerator

sound card: Intel High Definition Audio

HDD: 160gb 5400 RPM

speakers: Shure srh840 headphones, Ultimate Ears MetroFi 170

laggy on both systems. iWork runs without issue in both systems. all microsoft office releases run like crap... looks like the trend is continuing!

laggy on both systems. iWork runs without issue in both systems. all microsoft office releases run like crap... looks like the trend is continuing!

I'm not surprised about the crappy performance on the netbook but I am surprised about it on the MacBook. The performance with nVidia isn't noticeable all that much but I think it's going to remain pretty crappy since your laptop is coming to the end of its 'shelf life' according to Apple. I'm hoping that maybe 10.7 will mark a further refinement given that LLVM is really mature and possibly will become the default compiler. So as far as I see it, 10.6 marks a middle point, the Vista of the Mac world and hopefully 10.7 will bring about a further refinement with heavier integration of the new technologies that'll contribute to an over all better performance, security and reliability.

the new beta is even slower then the last, and by like a MILE too.. soo slow. typing litterally is laggy.

That sucks big time. I hope that they can find a way to speed it up before the final release. I hated Office 2008 so much that I just got rid of it, and now I'm starting to get sick of booting up Parallels every time that I want to use an Office application. Unfortunately, it's the best choice when you want speed and full feature support.

The new Messenger contact list looks terrible. :x Hardly like something that is native to Mac OS X.

Its there to mimic WLM on Windows though surely. The same could be said for Apple forcing the OSX interface in iTunes and QuickTime etc on Windows users.

Its there to mimic WLM on Windows though surely.

Undoubtedly... Doesn't change that it looks like ass on Mac OS X.

same could be said for Apple forcing the OSX interface in iTunes and QuickTime etc on Windows users.

I fail to see the relevance here. Windows has a longstanding history of inconsistent interfaces, fueled by Microsoft themselves, with a general user-base that is seemingly indifferent to it. Same can't be said of Mac OS and its user-base.

Undoubtedly... Doesn't change that it looks like ass on Mac OS X.

I fail to see the relevance here. Windows has a longstanding history of inconsistent interfaces, fueled by Microsoft themselves, with a general user-base that is seemingly indifferent to it. Same can't be said of Mac OS and its user-base.

But least these UIs are fast, you can't say the same for iTunes or Quicktime on Windows.

Same can't be said of Mac OS and its user-base.

What about the fact that Apple always seems to have a slightly different UI with iTunes when compared to the rest of Mac OS X and that Mac OS X Tiger had a mixture of brushed metal and glossy plastic? There are also various HIG violations, such as how "real world" applications are supposed to have a brushed metal look, yet most don't.

Apple is very good about consistency, for the most part, but even they don't follow their own guidelines 100% of the time.

I haven't noticed much 'slowness'. Beta 5 is pretty quick for me, there is no lagging with text input anyway.

The Messenger in Beta 4 crashed for me every time I sent a message, that doesn't happen in Beta 5 and it's pretty stable. Looks better too :)

What about the fact that Apple always seems to have a slightly different UI with iTunes when compared to the rest of Mac OS X and that Mac OS X Tiger had a mixture of brushed metal and glossy plastic? There are also various HIG violations, such as how "real world" applications are supposed to have a brushed metal look, yet most don't.

Apple is very good about consistency, for the most part, but even they don't follow their own guidelines 100% of the time.

You do realise that if you actually read the HIG (instead of relaying what others have said) there are exceptions to the general rules for particular circumstances.

Consistency has less to do with the feel and more about how it behaves; that command-q produces the same results regardless of the application. I've seen some applications ported from Windows that still use control-c and control-v for copy and paste even though Mac OS X use the command key. There are many vendors out there like that - the feel is less important when you consider that the behaviour in terms of consistency with the HIG being the more important factor.

You do realise that if you actually read the HIG (instead of relaying what others have said) there are exceptions to the general rules for particular circumstances.

Consistency has less to do with the feel and more about how it behaves; that command-q produces the same results regardless of the application. I've seen some applications ported from Windows that still use control-c and control-v for copy and paste even though Mac OS X use the command key. There are many vendors out there like that - the feel is less important when you consider that the behaviour in terms of consistency with the HIG being the more important factor.

God yes... I hate it when applications come along and they think that they can just remap the keyboard shortcuts "just because". It drives me to not even use the app in the first place.

I agree though, it's more about consistency of behaviour than anything else.

What about the fact that Apple always seems to have a slightly different UI with iTunes when compared to the rest of Mac OS X and that Mac OS X Tiger had a mixture of brushed metal and glossy plastic? There are also various HIG violations, such as how "real world" applications are supposed to have a brushed metal look, yet most don't.

Apple is very good about consistency, for the most part, but even they don't follow their own guidelines 100% of the time.

As far as I know Mac users have been complaining like crazy about iTunes' inconsistent UI, among other things. Mac OS X Tiger became a complete mess of different styles, which Apple corrected with Mac OS X Leopard and improved upon with Snow Leopard. Why? Because Mac users and developers complained so much about it. So both examples you're giving support what I'm saying about Mac users in general: They tend to set the bar higher when it comes to their OS and applications.

Obviously Mac OS X isn't 100% consistent either, but it's nowhere near as bad as the situation is (and has been for years) on Windows.

But least these UIs are fast, you can't say the same for iTunes or Quicktime on Windows.

Microsoft Office for Mac fast? You gotta be kiddin' me... Next to that the application interfaces are quirky as hell and don't respect Mac OS X standard keyboard shortcuts.

Microsoft Office for Mac fast? You gotta be kiddin' me... Next to that the application interfaces are quirky as hell and don't respect Mac OS X standard keyboard shortcuts.

Indeed, Office is quirky, slow, sluggish, whatever you want. But at LEAST I?m pretty sure they improved a lot compared to Office 2008. It?s just a pity it?s not 64-bit yet, we?ll have to wait for 2014 for this...

Just out of curiosity, what is a 64-bit Office suite going to offer over 32-bit during daily usage? Or is it just wanting to have 64-bit for the sake of having 64-bit?

It won't offer much improvements over 32-bit. Excel would gain for those who use it as a database. A company I use to work for still uses it from what I've heard for spreadsheets that should have been turned into, at the very least, Access databases. They have millions of rows. It will definitely help with performance in that. I guess VB too. But for the most part, it won't offer much performance increases.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Google begins rolling out its post-Epic Play Store billing model next week by Karthik Mudaliar Google has confirmed that its redesigned Play Store billing and fee structure will take effect on June 30, 2026, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area. The changes will let eligible developers offer their own payment systems or send users to an external website for purchases, while separating Google’s platform service fee from the cost of using Google Play Billing. The rollout puts concrete dates and detailed rate cards behind the broader Android policy overhaul Google announced in March. That announcement followed a proposed settlement with Epic Games intended to resolve their long-running disputes over app distribution and payments, although the U.S. portion of the agreement still requires court approval. Under the new billing choice program, developers selling digital content or services can display an alternative payment option alongside Google Play Billing. They may also direct users to their own websites to complete a purchase. Developers can use Google’s standard payment-choice screen or design one that complies with the company’s user-interface rules. Choosing another payment processor does not eliminate Google’s cut altogether. The company will continue charging a service fee for transactions associated with apps distributed through Google Play, regardless of whether payment is handled by Google, an alternative provider, or a developer’s website. Google argues that this fee covers the value and infrastructure provided by Android and the Play Store. For developers earning up to $1 million annually, the service fee will generally be 10 percent. That rate also applies to auto-renewing subscriptions. When Google Play Billing is used in the U.S., U.K., or EEA, Google will add a separate 5 percent billing fee, and developers processing payments elsewhere will not pay that additional charge. This means Google’s familiar flat 30 percent commission is disappearing, but developers will not necessarily see a dramatic reduction on every transaction. An in-app purchase from an existing user processed through Google Play Billing can still reach a combined 30 percent. The biggest savings are likely to come from subscriptions, smaller developers covered by the $1 million tier, and companies able to move customers to their own payment infrastructure. Google is also offering lower rates through its Apps Experience and revamped Games Level Up programs. Apps and games that satisfy the company’s requirements can qualify for 15 percent service fees on new-install transactions and 20 percent on existing-install transactions. The criteria include performance and reliability standards, support for additional Android device categories, and selected platform features. Those program rates are scheduled to become available in the initial markets and Australia on September 30. For consumers, the immediate effect will depend on whether developers adopt alternative payments and pass any savings on through lower prices. For developers, however, June 30 begins a more flexible but considerably more complicated Play Store economy in which distribution, billing, install dates, revenue thresholds, and program participation can each affect Google’s final cut. Google is also separately developing a Registered App Stores program designed to simplify the installation of qualifying third-party stores. That initiative is expected to arrive with a major Android release later in 2026 and will launch outside the U.S. first. Google says the rest of the world will receive the changes by September 30, 2027, although billing rates for markets outside the US, UK, and EEA have not yet been announced.
    • 38% off a super insane price is still an INSANE price.
    • 1TB Samsung T9 and Samsung 9100 PRO SSDs are now selling at great prices by Fiza Ali Amazon is now offering the 1TB variant of Samsung T9 and Samsung 9100 PRO SSD at great prices with limited-time 38% and 39% discounts, respectively, so you may want to check them out if you have been looking to upgrade your storage solution. The Samsung T9 connects via a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) interface and delivers sequential read speeds of up to 2,000MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 1,950MB/s, making it suitable for transferring large files, backing up data, and handling high-resolution media content. When it comes to the security features, the SSD includes AES 256-bit hardware encryption to help protect sensitive data. Designed for portability, the drive is reportedly resistant to drops from heights of up to 3 metres. Furthermore, it operates within a temperature range of 0°C to 60°C and can be stored at temperatures between -40°C and 85°C. Samsung Magician Software is included for drive management, firmware updates, performance optimisation, and health monitoring. Finally, the T9 is certified to multiple international standards, including CE, FCC, UL, UKCA, and RoHS 2 compliance, and is backed by a five-year limited warranty as well. 1TB Samsung T9 SSD: $179.99 (Amazon US) - 38% off The Samsung 9100 PRO uses the M.2 2280 form factor and connects through a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface with NVMe 2.0 support. Built with Samsung V-NAND TLC flash memory, an in-house controller, and 1GB of low-power DDR4X cache memory, the 9100 PRO is engineered for high-performance computing and gaming workloads. Furthermore, the SSD delivers sequential read speeds of up to 14,700MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 13,300MB/s. Random performance is rated at up to 1,850,000 IOPS for reads and up to 2,600,000 IOPS for writes, depending on system hardware and configuration. The drive supports TRIM, S.M.A.R.T monitoring, automatic garbage collection, and device sleep mode to help maintain performance and efficiency over time. In terms of security features, it includes AES 256-bit encryption, TCG Opal support, and IEEE 1667 compliance. The 9100 PRO operates within a temperature range of 0°C to 70°C, is rated for 1.5 million hours MTBF, and can reportedly withstand shocks of up to 1,500G for 0.5 milliseconds. Finally, Samsung Magician Software is also included for firmware updates, performance monitoring, drive management, and optimisation. 1TB Samsung 9100 PRO SSD: $206.99 (Amazon US) - 39% off Alternatively, you can also check out other SSD deals here. Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • This is about the already discredited 2025 announcement. Not the current one, which I've heard nothing negative about in the academic literature.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Rookie
      +ChiefOfNeo went up a rank
      Rookie
    • One Year In
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      One Year In
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      464
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      177
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      124
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      81
    5. 5
      Xenon
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!