It is really weird that Apple’s announcements are always called keynotes. I remembered times when a keynote meant the most important speech that always underscores the theme of an event. It is supposed to precede an event. Apple’s Special September Event is just that– an event where the only thing happening was the keynote.
Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac
Even though I love Apple’s iWork, I’ve always had a soft spot for Microsoft Office. In my mind, iWork is like a sleek Ferrari—fun, stylish, and exhilarating for the occasional joyride—whereas Office is the reliable Toyota you use daily to get from point A to B.
That’s why any new release of Microsoft Office for Mac piques my interest. It’s the collision of two ideologies: Apple, the temple of aesthetics, meets Microsoft, the creator of Fisher-Price-themed operating systems like Windows XP (we all remember the bright blues and lime greens). Their offspring can sometimes be spectacular—like the very first version of Microsoft Excel for Mac—or an absolute train wreck, like Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac.
To give credit where it’s due, Microsoft writes excellent code for office productivity software. I can’t imagine a workday without Microsoft Outlook keeping my schedule in check or Excel helping me wrestle meaning out of chaotic data dumps with complex pivot tables.
But that’s the office.
At home, in front of my big-screen Mac, I just want to enjoy my work. I want to cleanse my brain of Windows’ clunky interface and bask in beautifully crafted icons. When I do need to handle office tasks, I prefer to use elegantly designed software like iWork. But Pages and Numbers can only take me so far. Sometimes, I have to brace myself, fire up Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, and get the job done.
And that’s when my Mac transforms into something unholy—a Windows PC.
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is so poorly designed, so utterly perplexing—especially on big-screen Macs—that J.J. Abrams could have set Lost on its interface. Common features are buried so deep within the labyrinthine menus that they rarely, if ever, see the light of day.
Thankfully, this may finally change with Microsoft Office for Mac 2011. It’s not quite a Lexus, but Microsoft has clearly learned a few lessons. After taking it for a test drive, here are the key improvements I loved:-
Fast and more responsive: I’m blown away by the speed. Applications load up almost instantly, and within seconds, you can dive into Word, PowerPoint, or Excel. Typing in Word feels snappy—letters appear instantly as you type. Compared to the sluggish, unresponsive mess that was Office 2008, this alone is a compelling reason to upgrade.
Snazzier Templates: Okay, Steve Jobs probably wouldn’t be caught dead using any of these PowerPoint templates, but they’re the best I’ve seen in Microsoft Office—hands down. In fact, they’re even better than the ones in the PC version. The best part? Full compatibility. No more exporting beautifully crafted Keynote presentations just to make them PowerPoint-friendly.
Improved User Interface: The dreaded floating “palette” is gone! In its place, we now have the ribbon, which first appeared in Microsoft Office 2010 for PC. Some people love it, others hate it—but personally, I’ve grown to appreciate it. When you’ve got 12 different windows open at once, the ribbon’s structured layout makes life much easier.
New iPhone by June 2009
I know I might sound biased, but now is really not the best time to get a Maxis iPhone.
And no, it’s not just because the blogosphere is buzzing with complaints about how absurdly expensive it is to legally own an iPhone 3G in Malaysia (which, to be fair, it absolutely is).
Nor is it because the iPhone still lacks basic features that even the cheapest dumbphones have had for years—like forwarding SMS, sending and receiving MMS, making video calls, or the almighty copy and paste.
Nope.
The real reason to hold off? A newer, third-generation iPhone (not to be confused with “3G,” which was actually the second generation) is almost certainly dropping this June.
The Evidence: Why June 2009 is iPhone Season
- AT&T spilled the beans—like an overenthusiastic cowboy at a campfire, they let slip that something big is coming.
- The code detectives—geeks with way too much time on their hands have meticulously dissected every line of iPhone Firmware 3.0, unearthing hidden references to new phone models lurking in the source code.
- Paul Schiller’s divine revelation—Apple’s Senior VP of Product Marketing (a.k.a. not Steve Jobs) hinted via his chosen prophet, David Pogue of The New York Times, that June is traditionally when Apple unveils new iPhones.
- WWDC 2009 is set for June 8-12—Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is the perfect stage for them to unleash all the pent-up coolness they’ve been secretly working on, sending Apple fanboys into a collective frenzy.
Put all the clues together, and it’s almost certain that a brand-new iPhone is dropping in June 2009. And if history tells us anything, it’s going to be hot, hot, HOT.
So unless you enjoy buyer’s remorse, wait a few months. Your patience will be rewarded.