14 DAY TRIAL // The Beta development milestone of the next iteration of the Office productivity suite for Mac OS X is now live on Microsoft Connect. The Redmond company has already started sending out invitations to a limited pool of testers to grab the Beta bits for Office for Mac 2011 Beta from Connect, and to take the product out for a spin. At this point in time, the Beta build of Office for Mac 2011 is only available through invitation only to select testers chosen by Microsoft. (via Neowin)
People familiar with the development process of Office suites inside the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit (MacBU), know that the approach differs when compared to the team building Office for Windows. In this regard, the Redmond company is less open when it comes down to building Office for Mac, whereas, Windows users are permitted more access to pre-releases testing milestones.
Users need a valid Windows Live ID in order to access Office for Mac 2011 on Connect, provided that they received the invitation from Microsoft. “ After accepting the invitation you will be asked to take a survey or submit further information. In some cases you status could be set to Pending, in which case the product team will contact you only if you are chosen for participation,” Microsoft noted in the email.
“The Office for Mac 2011 beta is closed to the public, which means ALL Office 2011 tools and features are confidential and proprietary to Microsoft. By participating in the beta, you consent to a non-disclosure agreement which includes all forms of communication including print, broadcast, electronic, Internet publications, social media networking sites, blogs, and verbal disclosure. The NDA will not lift until the product is public later this year. We will update on timing closer to the date,” the company added.
Microsoft is currently hard at work to deliver the final version of Office for Mac 2011 by the end of this year.
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