I went and blew my Microsoft Diet really badly. Not just a nibble or even a snack, a whole bloody suite of new Microsoft.
I installed Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac. Bugger!
Ok, first impressions, the install was quick and easy, it didn’t ask any embarrassing questions until the end. I didn’t even have to enter the product key until later, although it does phone home to Microsoft to check the key. They’ve been doing that on Windows for years. You can’t cheat anymore, one copy, one Mac.
It was huge, over 1.3Gb of software and then the first patch download was 365Mb, that’s a heck of a lot. And it left the old version in place. I had to browse to my Applications folder and delete Office 2008.
It also broke my Microsoft Remote Desktop application, but a simple re-install of that fixed it again. Luckily I kept the download of RDP in my DropBox for easy access.
Next impression is speed. Way, way, way faster than Office 2004 and noticeably faster than Office 2008. Of course 2004 was a bit of a dud anyway.
The new icons look good, more stylish than before, Microsoft is starting to get look and feel. Also the programs themselves are better looking. Not too far removed from my beloved Office 2003 but still updated with new menus and the new ribbon interface.
Things seem easy to find. Word works. I think I’m happy.
Bottom line: recommended upgrade