Still shying away from giving a firm date for the release of Office 98 for Windows, Microsoft Corp confirmed at MacWorld on Tuesday that it will ship a Mac version in the first half of the year (CI 3,308) and now expects to see the software on shelves some time in March. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said the release was a direct result of the alliance between the two companies announced in August. Office 98 for Mac includes new versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Microsoft said it would also offer a Gold version, including the Encarta encyclopedia, Bookshelf and the FrontPage web publishing tool. Microsoft Office is the company’s largest single revenue producer and has sold around 8.5 million copies on the Mac compared to around 55 million for Windows-based versions. The Redmond-based giant also announced that its Internet Explorer 4.0 offering, currently the subject of contentious wrangling with the Department of Justice (CI No 3,319), is now available for free download at its web site along with its Outlook Express email and news software. With not a hint of irony Gates said the moves underscored his company’s continued belief in the Macintosh platform for applications and leading edge internet technologies. The basic package will sell for around $500 or $300 for an upgrade, with the Gold version priced at $600.
