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Microsoft hopes Word’s new options and improved interface will make your workflow simpler, both alone and in groups.
Styles get more stylish and easier to use in Word 2011.
The new Visual Styles feature lets you see which styles have been applied to your document and where they are. Click a checkbox and each one is identified by numbered, color-coded markers along your pages so you can see at a glance which styles are active in your document. It even highlights text that’s been modified from a default style--underlined or made bold, for instance--so you can spot and correct these errors more easily.
Revising complex layouts is a cinch with Word and PowerPoint's dynamic layers.
Swinging to the rescue of busy Publishing Layout documents is dynamic reordering, a feature shared with PowerPoint 2011. It gives you a 3D rendering of document layers so you can easily rearrange elements--drag an image to the front for easy editing, let’s say—and then put them back where they belong in just a few clicks. It’s like Cover Flow for layers, and it’s a real time saver in complex publications or slides.
Full-screen document views have been available in word processors for years, so Microsoft had to do something special when bringing the feature to Word. For some reason, they split it in two. Write mode works as expected, filling the screen with your document and offering access to print and formatting options, reviewing tools, and the Toolbox and Media Browser from a drop-down menu. Switch to read mode, and you lose most of these features while gaining a sidebar that lets you scroll through thumbnails of your pages. Here’s hoping for an update that does away with this annoying division of labor.
In previous versions of Word, online collaboration meant waiting to work while colleagues took turns revising a shared document. No longer. Like the new PowerPoint, Word now lets you edit files simultaneously with other users running Office 2011 for Mac or Office 2010 for Windows (but you’ll have to access files from Microsoft’s SkyDrive, or for enterprise users, SharePoint Foundation 2010). You can instantly see which of your coworkers is editing a document and where in the file they’re working, and Word locks other users out of each paragraph that’s being edited.
Without blockbuster new features like 2008’s Publishing Layout, Word 2011 may seem like just an incremental upgrade. But perhaps more than any Office application, the value of a Word update depends on the kind of work you do. If straight-up text is your thing, Visual Styles will make your life much easier. If you let pictures do the talking, the new image tools and Media Browser are definitely worth a look. But no matter what you create, the suite-wide Template Gallery, in-document collaboration features, and improved integration with Office 2010 for Windows can make time spent in Word easier and more productive. It’s a worthy upgrade that’s more than the sum of its parts.
The new Excel doesn’t break new ground, but you’ll work with data faster--and make it look better--than ever before.
Sparklines bring compact clarity to your worksheets.
Do your eyes glaze over at the sight of spreadsheets full of raw data? Enter Sparklines, compact charts that sit in a single worksheet cell beside their data to display trends at a glance (select a Sparkline, and its corresponding data is immediately highlighted). You can create Sparklines with just a few clicks and customize them with different colors, markers, and chart types depending on your needs. And because Sparklines are compatible with Excel 2010 for Windows, the whole office can easily see what your data is saying.
New PivotTables transform dull data into something you can read in a snap.
Making PivotTables--interactive reports that let you quickly summarize and compare sets of data according to their categories—is easier than ever in the new Excel. You can create PivotTables manually or with a single click, then dig into new instant search filters with multiple filter conditions to quickly present your information from every angle. The same sorting tools apply to tables (formerly known as lists) and worksheets, and you can even sort or filter based on criteria like cell color, font color, or the new Conditional Formatting icon sets.
Visualizing important variations and patterns in your information can be a chore, but improved Conditional Formatting can help you highlight the right exceptions in your data. You’re no longer limited to three conditional rules and one conditional format per cell, plus you can now use 40 built-in formats or roll your own with custom data-bar fills, colors, and icon sets. But the real action happens under the hood. New quick-select rules let you call out values above or below an average, identify duplicate or unique values, add date criteria, and more--without resorting to complicated formulas. That’s a condition we can get behind.
Say goodbye to the same old pie chart. Whether you’re working in Excel or incorporating a chart into a PowerPoint or Word document, you’ll have access to a faster charting engine, simpler chart tools in the ribbon, and over 130 SmartArt diagram layouts. But no matter which charts or SmartArt graphics you choose, their appearance will automatically match your document’s colors, fonts, and formatting effects.
Like the new Word, Excel 2011 lacks a single game-changing feature (unless, that is, you frequently work with tables or conditional formatting). Instead, it’s a collection of very useful refinements to core functions. Not all users will benefit from them, but those refinements can make a big difference paired with the new features built into Office 2011. The return of Visual Basic for Applications alone--and the macros it makes possible--will improve the workdays of most spreadsheet jockeys enough to recommend an upgrade from Excel 2008.
Next Page: PowerPoint and Outlook Reviews »
wsanders123
April 26, 2012 at 12:25am
The one feature that compelled me to upgrade from 2008 centered around the inclusion of Outlook. I read time and time again that Outlook 2011 would be able to read Outlook pst files from Windows. With that in mind, I upgraded from 2008. While it may be true that the Mac version can read pst files from Windows, it is a huge misnomer. It simply does a ONE TIME CONVERSION of your pst file. You can read your Windows files, but once you convert it, the file is no longer compatible with Outlook for Windows.
I was hoping I could use Outlook at work and bring my pst files home, open them on my Mac, do a bit of work (and instead of carrying my work PC laptop around), and then still use the file back at work the next day. That was my impression of being able to READ pst files. Instead, Outlook 2011 allows you to CONVERT your pst files to the new Mac format.
I could accomplish nearly the same thing using Thunderbird from Mozilla, and have been able to do that for years. Without the true integration of Outlook, I might have just stuck with Entourage or Thunderbird and never upgraded from Office 2008.
danrhiggins
December 22, 2011 at 10:58am
Does not support configurations with external eSATA RAID drives.
Does not support configurations with the new Lacie Thunderbolt external drives.
(In both of the above cases the Product Key validation algorithm fails to work and your must re-enter the Product Key nearly every time you open an Office 2011 application - yes that could be multiple times each day!) Apparently the inept Microsoft software engineers decided to tie their Product Key validation to the hardware configuration including externally connected hardware. (Have they ever worked with a notebook PC?) This means that it will break every time some new technology comes out. Major fail!
wmitzner
January 25, 2011 at 7:49am
I too was upset that there was no "resend" button in Outlook 2011. HOWEVER, you can resend with a quirk in the system. Go the the sent box and simply hit 'reply to all'. This brings up the old message, with the same person (or people) in the To: box. Hitting 'reply' doesn't work, but 'reply to all' does. Not sure what Microsoft was thinking when set this (without telling anyone), but maybe it was a mistake. At least for now, we have functional 'resend', though.
rjim@mac.com
January 13, 2011 at 6:19pm
The transition to Outlook went smooth and was problem free. However, I hate the changes in the interface, the ribbon can not be customized, it will not read the next unread email only the previously read email and it crashes constantly. A real waste of money in my opinion.
I went back to Entourage.
rfinkelmeier
December 14, 2010 at 2:31pm
I believe that this rating is inflated. Yes there are improvements, but many features of the old Microsoft Office Suite are missing. And Outlook is missing things like, "resend," easy synchronization, etc. Additionally it slows down or crashes frequently.
htaylor42
December 10, 2010 at 7:10pm
The Excel add-in tools, Solver and Analysis Toolpak, no longer come with Office. When you inquire after them in Help, you are directed to third-party publishers (Frontline for Solver, AnalystSoft for StatPlus:mac). You are told that there are free downloads, and indeed there are. But the free versions are what you might call strange attractors for the full, paid versions. The free Solver isn't crippled by its incompleteness, but StatPlus:mac LE (For Limited Edition. There's a bit of truth in advertising.) comes with 17 routines out of about 45.
Furthermore, AnalystSoft has let my support tickets and e-mails go unanswered for over a week. They seem not to have a phone.
cboyce
November 20, 2010 at 4:52pm
With no calendar synching, how am I supposed to get Outlook's calendar onto my iPhone?
Why must the toolbars take away vertical space, leaving a two-inch gray gap on either side of my document? Put the toolbars on the side, where everyone has more monitor space.
Why doesn't anyone at Microsoft say "Wait a minute, a floppy disk is really a lousy symbol for 'Save' since no Mac that can run Office 2011 has a floppy disk drive"? (Was bark and a charred stick already taken?)
I can't believe that Office 2011 is the best that Microsoft can do, after all this time. Plainly, Microsoft still doesn't get it. I'm surprised that MacLife wasn't a little harder on them in this review. To me, the review read more like an advertisement.
jonblaine
November 09, 2010 at 5:08pm
David Pogue had it right in the NY Times.
What happened to MacLife's objectivity?
Huge omission on Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011: No resend button for mail. I use that all the time. And that damned Windows Office 2007 ribbon. Yuck. And there's no indication of the send/receive mail process for POP accounts like with Entourage. I'm sticking with 2008... Save your money and don't buy this.
Sure, get the Home or Student version for Word, Excel and Powerpoint for $100 if you really need it (Word is faster and more stable than its predecessor in my experience), and you can have both versions on your Mac. Keep the Pro version with Outlook on the store shelf. Entourage is maddening sometimes, but it works.
Better still, go for Apple iWork or the free OpenOffice if you don't need complete MS Office compatibility.
harperfamily007
October 17, 2010 at 9:08pm
No mention in the article about the apparent lack of Gmail Contact or Calendar sync-ability.
silverwink
October 16, 2010 at 3:06am
I’ve worked with some such as Wrike, but found http://www.timedoctor.com is the best software as it is very hard for employees to waste a lot of time.
silverwink
October 16, 2010 at 3:05am
I’ve worked with some such as Wrike, but found http://www.timedoctor.com is the best software as it is very hard for employees to waste a lot of time.
silverwink
October 16, 2010 at 3:05am
I’ve worked with some such as wrike, but found http://www.timedoctor.com is the best software as it is very hard for employees to waste a lot of time.
pipower
October 14, 2010 at 1:10pm
If you're currently working for an employer that uses Microsoft Exchange for email, etc., be aware that Outlook 2010 does not support Exchange 2003. (Entourage 2008 does support Exchange 2003.) If your employer hasn't upgraded to Exchange 2007 (and many haven't!), the new Outlook will do you no good.
soundguyrob
October 13, 2010 at 5:21pm
@ rickpdx- I have the new outlook, I couldn't find a read rcpt option in an of the menus.
The rest of the app is so much better than my PCs Office 2007. The outlook is a very mac-cocoa feel app. The attachment preview function is a life saver since every email I rcve has an attachment, I no longer have to open adobe just to confirm info. When I tried to load my day job large email acct on Entourage 2008, it crashed every time due to a "corrupt database" (MS's warning) 2011 loaded perfectly and updated immediately. I have to say I would rather use my mac at the office for my mail than my PC-2007 office suite.
rickpdx
October 13, 2010 at 3:49pm
And why is there still no Publisher for Mac? What in the world is Microsoft thinking not providing this for users?
chsoundman
October 14, 2010 at 12:34pm
I agree. As a graphic designer, I use InDesign for all of my layout work. However, I have several clients (who think they are designers ;-) who always give me their Publisher files. In order to open them I have to use another computer to edit and work with the files. It would be so much easier if Publisher were made available for the Mac so I could stay on one machine.
rickpdx
October 13, 2010 at 3:48pm
I'd like to know if the new Outlook supports what is found in its Windows counterpart, read receipt requested. It is so frustrating that this tool, which is essential for my work, is available on Windows but not in Mail.app.
tanker10a
October 18, 2010 at 11:50am
I have looked for it and it's nowhere to be found unfortunately.
I've placed the "read receipt requested" in the Search Window but to no avail.
