For download

Jun 25, 2008 09:54 GMT  ·  By

Even though Microsoft was initially planning to make the Open XML File Format Converter for Mac available by the end of 2007, it was only on June 24, 2008 that the Redmond company actually released the final version of the tool. Designed for Mac OSX version 10.4.9 (Tiger) and 10.5 Leopard, the Open XML File Format Converter will integrate with Office 2004 11.4.0 or later, as well as Office v. X 10.1.9 or later. Microsoft is essentially enabling users of Office 2004 to open, view, edit and save Open XML documents. According to the Redmond giant, in addition to the converters, users should also ensure that they have integrated Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.5.0 Update.

The update "which is available by download or automatically through Microsoft AutoUpdate (for Office 2004). Combined, these updates allow Office 2004 to work seamlessly with the new .docx, .pptx and .xlsx document types. The Converter application can still be used as a stand-alone converter, for example to perform batch conversion, but with the 11.5 update installed you won't need to launch the Converter at all, as the new file formats will simply work - documents will open and you will also find the new format options available in the 'Save As' dialogs in Word, PowerPoint and Excel," informed Geoff Price, the Product Unit Manager for Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit.

The end purpose of the converter is to build a bridge between Office 2008 for Mac and the Office 2007 System for Windows and older versions of Office for the two platforms, as far as the supported standards are concerned. Both Office 2008 and Office 2007 use Open XML as the default file format. With the converter, Office 2008 and Office 2007 documents, workbooks, and presentations in Word, Excel and respectively PowerPoint can be converted in order to be opened with earlier versions of the Redmond company's productivity suite.

"There's more goodness - to promote better compatibility with documents created with newer versions of Office, installing the Converter will also install six new fonts for use with Office 2004, if the latter is present on your computer. These are the new Office 'C' fonts - Cambria, Constantia, and peers," Price said, adding that the company's effort to support compatibility with Open XML-based documents is a process completed with the release of the converter.

However, end users will also have to understand that the converter will not backport the features of Office 2008, or the products of those features, to Office 2004. In this context, taking advantage of components such as SmartArt, the OfficeArt engine and the latest formula capabilities can only be done in Office 2008, and not in the 2004 version.

"The converter will alert and translate new features as best it can, for example converting SmartArt to a picture, but some new features can be lost, so for documents which use these new features heavily you should use Office 2004 for viewing rather than editing the master copy of such a document," Price explained.

The Open XML File Format Converter 1.0 is available for download here.