SPSS Inc. has announced that SPSS, the company’s popular data analysis software used by analysts, statisticians and researchers, will arrive for Mac OS X in the third quarter of the year.
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SPSS 11 for Mac OS X will make full use of Apple’s new Aqua user interface and the UNIX foundation upon which the Mac OS X was built, said Tom Moellering, marketing manager of the SPSS Business Intelligence division. SPSS 11.0 features a new linear mixed models procedure that delivers more accurate analytical results, and enhanced data management that enables users to retrieve and format data faster and easier, he said.
SPSS 11 is the first version of SPSS to offer linear mixed models, which ensure accurate predictive models when working with nested data. For example, with the flexibility of this procedure, analysts can formulate a wide variety of models and work with repeated measure designs such as incomplete repeated measurements in which the name of variables differs across subjects. The mixed models procedure can be used to more accurately model student performance within classrooms, consumer satisfaction within families and in a variety of other research applications, Moellering said.
In addition to the enhanced statistical procedures, SPSS 11.0 also features improvements in data management. A new Data Restructure Wizard lets users restructure data from multiple records per individuals to a single record per individual or vice versa. For example, the Data Restructure Wizard eliminates the need to set up vectors and loops, a timely task required to prepare transactional data for analysis.
SPSS 11 will also offer enhanced statistical procedures: Multinomial Logistic Regression, General Linear Models, Categorical Regression, Categorical Principal Components Analysis, and One Way Analysis of Variance procedures. New default output settings will produce better-looking results, reducing the need for manual editing, Moellering said.
With the upcoming version’s improved analytical efficiency, users will be able to sample data while it’s being pulled from the database. Version 11 will include the following ratio statistics: coefficient of dispersion, coefficient of variation, price-related differential and average absolute deviance.
SPSS for Mac OS X will offer hands-on, realistic sample data. Online case studies will teach users how a selected statistical procedure works and how to interpret results. Text and graphics will provide a visual guide to the process.
SPSS 11 will require a Power Mac G3/233 or better, Mac OS X 10.1.2 or higher, 192 MB RAM (256 MB recommended), 120 MB hard disk space, and a color monitor capable of 800×600 resolution and 256 colors or higher.
The North American list price for a single user perpetual license of SPSS for Mac OS X will be US$999 for commercial customers and $599 for academic users. A variety of pricing programs, including multiple unit pricing and site and network licensing will be offered.