Microsoft announces Office for Mac 2011 SP1

SOFTWARE FLOGGER Microsoft has announced it will release a Service Pack 1 for Office for Mac 2011, which it claims will add extra features and increase stability and security.

One of the primary features that Microsoft is adding is calendar syncing, which will link up Outlook for Mac with Apple's Sync Services, allowing the import of contacts, notes and tasks from Outlook onto Apple devices like the Iphone and Ipad. This is a feature Apple users have requested.

Microsoft will support synchronisation, but Apple is breaking it with an update to Mobileme that will prevent synchronisation with Sync Services from May 5. Devices synchronised with Mobileme will therefore not sync with Outlook for Mac, regardless of the Office for Mac Service Pack update.

Other features that will come with Service Pack 1 include Outlook support for Microsoft Exchange server-side rules, Outlook Redirect and Resend buttons, editing of existing messages in Outlook, and Solver integration support for Excel. Apparently much of this update focuses on Outlook.

Microsoft is also promising greater stability and improved security for Office running on Mac computers, which will mean little to many Apple users who believe that the Mac is inherently secure. Rest assured, however, that Microsoft can probably find - or more likely create - a gaping security hole somewhere.

Microsoft has promised no release date for Service Pack 1, but we might see it by the end of April. µ