14 DAY TRIAL // While the latest version of Office might be delayed until next year, Microsoft's Mac Business Unit has just released an update to the current version of the software suite. While this update may not bring any improvements to the software as such, it will plug a security hole.
The Office 2004 for Mac 11.3.7 software update addresses a vulnerability that could be leveraged by an attacker in order to overwrite the contents of the target computer's memory with malicious code. The 8.6MB update is good for Office 2004 Standard Edition, Office 2004 Student and Teacher Edition, Office 2004 Professional Edition, Word 2004, Excel 2004, PowerPoint 2004 and Entourage 2004; it can be obtained both as a direct download from the company's site and through Microsoft AutoUpdate, which is built into Office 2004.
While Microsoft might be patching Office, the company has been ridiculed in recent press for their delay of the next version of the software suite for the Mac. Apple now has the rest of the year with little competition to its recently updated iWork suite, which has already swayed many buyers to abandon Office. Tragically, one of the chief delays in the development of Office was the transition to the Open XML format, something that Apple has managed perfectly with iWork. While Microsoft need not fear Apple displacing Office, it does stand to lose a lot of customers who only need a fraction of the capabilities that the software suite offers. With the introduction of Numbers, iWork is a far better choice for many, not only because it only costs a fraction of what Microsoft is charging but also because of its superior ease of use and results.
Apple is taking full advantage of this situation and is offering a free 30-day trial of the productivity software suite.