The company said the delay was caused, in part, by Apple’s switch to Intel processors and Microsoft’s change to a new Office file format, and would enable Microsoft to ensure the release will be of high quality.
For Mac users, it means having to wait longer for an Office application that is native to Apple’s newer, Intel-powered machines. The older Office 2004 version currently runs on Intel-based Macs using Rosetta conversion technology, but the performance is sluggish compared to native Intel applications.
On its Mac blog, Microsoft said it would release a series of sneak peeks of the features and functionalities of Mac Office 2008 beginning in September.
