New Office for Mac due in 2010, dumps Entourage for Outlook

Mac users can expect a new version of Office around the 2010 holiday season, according to Microsoft. The biggest news? Entourage, Mac's version of Outlook, is getting a top-to-bottom revamp, and a new name—same as the old name. Also: No Office for iPhone, or at least not yet.

In a conference call Thursday morning, execs for Microsoft's Mac Business Unit said Outlook for Mac will be built "from the ground up" using Cocoa, Apple's set of Mac OS X development tools, and promised that it'll be "different" but "compatible" with Outlook for Windows. (Let's hope so.)

With the new Outlook, Microsoft will be "refreshing not just the front end but the guts," including a new database that'll feature tight integration with Time Machine (the Mac OS X backup utility) and Spotlight universal search, not to mention "increased reliability and performance," said Eric Wilfrid, General Manager of the Microsoft Mac Business Unit.

Outlook for Mac will also build on the recently introduced Entourage Web Services Edition, good for syncing tasks, notes, and categories with corporate Exchange servers, Wilfrid said.

Wilfrid didn't reveal any additional info about the new Office for Mac, such as versions, pricing, or an exact release date.

Meanwhile, those hoping that Microsoft would unveil a version of Office for the iPhone today came away disappointed.

Microsoft and Nokia made headlines Wednesday after announcing a version of Office for Symbian devices, but Wilfrid said Thursday that there's "no news today" about Office for the iPhone. Oh well.

Finally, Microsoft also announced a new version of Office for Mac 2008: Business Edition, which will include Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition (again, featuring task, notes, and categories syncing with Exchange), Microsoft Document Connection for Mac (for better access to SharePoint and Office Live Workspace documents), and additional business templates and clip art.

Expect Business Edition to arrive Sept. 15, for $399 (or $239 as an upgrade).

So, Office for Mac users—will you miss Entourage? Pining for Office on the iPhone?

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