14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is working to bring a 64-bit version of the Office productivity suite on Apple’s Mac, and the company took an important step recently towards this goal when it pushed this new release to the slow ring of the Insider program.
The 64-bit version of Office for Mac debuted earlier this month as a preview build for participants in the Office for Mac Insider program enrolled in the fast ring, but after in-depth testing and bug fixing, the company has decided to push it to the slow ring as well.
This usually happens when the software in question performs better, and the majority of bugs have already been fixed, so since slow ring insiders can get it too, the new Office 64-bit for Mac should clearly run more smoothly.
“We're pleased bring the 64-bit version of Office 2016 for Mac to our Office Insider Slow audience. To get the 64-bit version, you don't need to do anything other than install update 15.24 (160707),” Microsoft said when releasing version 15.24 of Office for Mac to the slow insider ring.
Public launch in the coming weeks
Additionally, the same version comes with other improvements too, including options to find shared files, get more control over objects, and use interactive controls. This new update also introduces options to ink annotations, so in OneNote, you can use the mouse or trackpad to write, draw, and highlight with the tools in the Draw tab.
And last but not least, Office for Mac version 15.24 bundles pen tablet support to let you write, draw, and erase in notes on a drawing tablet or pen-compatible display.
For the moment, there’s no word on the timeline when the 64-bit version of the Microsoft Office productivity suite would arrive on the Mac for retail users too, but since it has already reached the slow ring of the Insider program, we shouldn’t have to way too long to see this happening.