Compare Office 2008 for Mac with Office for Mac 2011

Ribbon

The ribbon makes it easy to discover and utilize the features that Outlook has to offer. It adapts to your task at hand and provides you with the tools you need when you need them.

Conversations

Get a summary of an entire conversation thread and update yourself on the pertinent details quickly. The Conversations feature improves the tracking of related e-mail messages and lets you manage large amounts of e-mail with ease.

Outlook database

Outlook data is saved in separate text files, resulting in smaller, more robust, and easier to manage files that you can back up with Time Machine.

Import Windows .pst files

Outlook enables you to import data files (.pst files) created in Outlook for Windows directly in the application — no third-party tools required.

Filters

Quickly sift through your mailbox and find what you’re looking for with ease. Use built-in filters to apply frequently used criteria in a few simple clicks.

Server-based rules

Server-based rules allows you to have one set of Inbox rules that live on the Exchange server. These rules run on your Exchange mailbox, even when Outlook is not running on your computer.

Rich e-mail editing tools

Outlook brings you rich composition tools to help you easily create professional content. With increased cross-platform compatibility, rich formatting, such as tables, won’t be destroyed when you reply to or forward an e-mail.

Overlay calendar view

Outlook automatically consolidates and stacks multiple and shared calendars so you can easily see your schedule and your colleagues’ schedules in a single calendar view.

Scheduling Assistant

View more of your co-worker’s shared calendar details and easily track attendee responses right from your meeting request.

Presence

See the availability of others, which you can view on almost any Outlook item.

Photos

See the photos of your contacts in your mails, contact lists, and calendar.

Information Rights Management

Control access to your confidential e-mail by using enterprise-level protection tools.

Outlook Web App

Manage your e-mail from any device that has a Web browser. Use Outlook Web App and view your e-mail messages, contacts, and calendar events stored on a server running Microsoft Exchange Server. Use familiar features found in Outlook, such as Conversations, multiple calendars, shared calendars, organization hierarchy, free/busy status, and more.

Voice mail preview

With Outlook and new technology in Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, a voice-to-text preview of a recorded voice message is sent along with the voice mail recording directly to your inbox. Access your messages from virtually anywhere using your Web browser, computer, or smartphone.

Ribbon

The ribbon brings together features previously located in the Elements gallery and Formatting Palette to give you a more streamlined and flexible work experience.

Paste as Picture

Paste copied content as a picture for quick reference or preserve information that should remain unchanged.

Embedded Formula Bar

The embedded Formula Bar is now located in the workbook window, making it easier to view and edit formulas.

Media Browser

The new Media Browser gives you a more direct route to your photos, Clip Art, symbols, and shapes, along with quick access to your audio and movie files.

Sparklines

Tiny charts that fit within a cell and provide a visual summary near its corresponding values.

Excel Tables

Previously known as Excel Lists, tables are now easier to create in Excel 2011 and include new table styles that enable you to shade alternating rows and columns in just a few clicks.

Data validation

You can now reference cells on other worksheets in your data validation rules.

Sorting and Filtering

Sort and filter on cell color, font color, or even cell icons used in conditional formatting. New built-in quick filter options have been added for specific data types along with multi-select filters.

Charts

Get additional tools for formatting and editing charts, including Chart Quick Layouts and expanded quick access options for editing many chart elements.

Office themes

Select from a wide range of new Office themes to apply fonts, colors, and formatting effects to create coordinating, professional results throughout your workbooks.

32-bit color palette

32-bit color palettes are now available to all features that support color in Excel 2011.

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

Use VBA, available again across several Office for Mac 2011 applications, to save time, automate repetitive tasks, and create add-ins for yourself and others to use.

Open and Repair

If a corrupted or damaged file is encountered, Excel 2011 will automatically attempt to repair it upon opening.

SmartArt graphics

Create professional-quality diagrams as easily as typing a bulleted list. Office for Mac 2011 adds dozens of additional SmartArt layouts for even more choices to help you convey related ideas and non-linear concepts with greater visual impact. Additionally, explore improved tools for working with picture diagrams and the ability to convert SmartArt diagrams to shapes.

Solver

Solver is an add-in program that is available when you install Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 1 (SP1). With Solver, the optimization tool, you can find the maximum, minimum, or the best possible value for a formula in the target cell on a worksheet.

Sheet protection

Improved sheet protection gives you more control over the modifications that other users can make and enables Mac and Windows users to share workbooks more easily.

Information Rights Management

Control access to your sensitive workbooks using enterprise-level workbook protection tools.

Excel Web App

View and do lightweight editing of your workbooks online from virtually any computer with an Internet connection. Or, simultaneously edit the same workbook with people in other locations.

Save to SharePoint

Save your workbooks to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or later directly from within Excel 2011.

Ribbon

Get to the commands you need more easily with the new ribbon, designed specifically for Office 2011.

Full screen view

Work without distractions in a view that maximizes your document area while keeping key tools easily at hand.

Sidebar

Use the improved Sidebar (formerly called the Navigation Pane) to access the Document Map, Find and Replace tools, Reviewing pane, or to view document thumbnails.

Publishing layout view

Use the improved publishing layout view to easily create publication documents ranging from brochures and newsletters to business cards and invitations.

Picture editing tools

Advanced color, correction, and cropping tools, a new background removal tool and professional-quality artistic effects help you edit pictures like a pro.

Tables

Use improved table tools, such as table styles, that coordinate with your active document theme, as well as expanded table formatting options, such as banded rows and columns.

Office themes

Select from a wide range of new Office themes to apply fonts, colors, and formatting effects throughout your document in just a few clicks.

Shapes and shape effects

Select from additional shape types and improved tools for working with shapes, such as the ability to select a shape and just start typing to add text. Additionally, get an array of advanced formatting effects — such as reflections, bevels, and improved shadows and gradients — as well as shape styles that coordinate with the same theme effects used for charts and diagrams.

Text effects

Apply rich effects — such as bevels, reflections, and gradient fills — directly to document text.

Styles and formatting Guides

Stay in control of your text formatting with color-coded Styles Guides that show you where styles are applied throughout the document and direct formatting guides that instantly highlight text when it’s formatted differently from the applied style.

VBA

Use VBA, again available across several Office 2011 applications, to save time, automate repetitive tasks, and create add-ins for yourself and others to use.

Zoom

Drag the new zoom slider on the Status bar at the bottom of the screen to zoom in or out on the active document content.

Coauthoring

Edit the same document at the same time with other people in different locations.

Information Rights Management (IRM)

Control access to your confidential documents using enterprise-level document protection tools.

Merge documents

Quickly combine edits from multiple authors with improved document merge tools.

Word Web App

View and do lightweight editing of your documents online from virtually any computer with an Internet connection.

Save to SharePoint

Save your documents to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or later directly from within Word 2011.

Ribbon

Get to the commands you need more easily with the new ribbon, designed specifically for Office 2011.

Media Browser

Get consolidated access to all the media you need in your presentations, from pictures and movies to shapes and symbols.

Embed movies from your files

Movies that you insert from your files are embedded by default in PowerPoint 2011, helping to ensure that your presentation is always ready to travel.

Movie and audio controls

Instantly move to any location in the movie or audio object inserted from your files as you present and control the audio level while a movie plays.

Compress pictures

Compress the pictures in your presentations to reduce file size and make presentations easier to share.

Slide transitions

Captivate audiences with exciting special effects, such as high-quality 3-D effects, that look just like graphics you’ve seen on TV.

Additional Office themes

Select from a wide range of new Office themes to apply fonts, colors, and formatting effects — as well as slide master, layout, and background formatting — throughout your presentation with just a click.

Tables and table styles

Explore additional options for table styles, such as banding of rows and columns, and consolidated access to all the table tools you need on the Tables and Table Layout tabs on the ribbon.

Presenter view

Keep the focus on your message with improved presentation tools that make it simple to stay in control of all aspects of your presentation.

Presentation Sections

Easily organize and navigate through your slides by dividing your presentation into logical sections.

VBA

Use VBA, available again across several Office for Mac 2011 applications, to save time, automate repetitive tasks, and create add-ins for yourself and others to use.

Zoom

Drag the new zoom slider on the Status bar at the bottom of the screen to zoom in or out on the active document content.

Broadcast Slide Show

Instantly broadcast your slides to a remote audience who can view your presentation online even if they don’t have PowerPoint installed on their computers.

Rich presence and on-the-spot communication

Instantly start a conversation with others who are simultaneously editing a document with you, right from PowerPoint.

Open and Create Password Protected Files

Use passwords to help prevent other people from opening or modifying your presentations.

PowerPoint Web App

View and do lightweight editing of PowerPoint presentations from virtually any computer with a Web browser. Run your slide show, edit slide notes, and use some of the same formatting and editing tools that you know from PowerPoint.

Save to SharePoint

Save your documents to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or later directly from within PowerPoint 2011.