First new Office for Mac suite in four years coming in 2014, Microsoft confirms

sincity · March 11, 2014

The last time Microsoft updated its Office for Mac suite in 2010, the Lakers were good, Miley Cyrus wore clothes and Americans were arguing about healthcare reform. Well, at least some things never change.

Merriment aside, the latest word out of Germany is that Microsoft will finally revamp the Mac OS X iterations of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and co. before the curtain comes down on 2014.

That's according to Microsoft executive Thorsten Hübschen, who oversees the Office portfolio in Germany, who revealed the plans to Computerwoche at the CeBIT 2014 trade show, currently ongoing in Hanover.

He said separate development teams are working on each component of the productivity suite, with news on the release coming in the second quarter of 2014.

Office team 'hard at work'

A second quarter announcement would mean Microsoft would miss the reported spring 2014 release target, with an arrival later in the year more likely for Mac users.

Following the report, a Microsoft spokewoman confirmed the new version is indeed on the way. In a statement, she wrote: "The team is hard at work on the next version of Office for Mac.

"While I don't have details to share on timing, when it's available, Office 365 subscribers will automatically get the next Office for Mac at no additional cost."

Unfortunately there was no news on when full versions of Office would arrive on iOS and Android, but Hübschen identified them as 'possible future targets,' according to Computerwoche.