Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit (MBU) today announced the release to manufacturing of the Microsoft Word + Entourage 2001 Special Edition. It’s a special package that will be available for a limited time only.
Word + Entourage 2001 SE bundles Microsoft’s popular word processor together with its integrated e-mail and personal information management application. The Word + Entourage 2001 SE package is being released in English and French, according to Microsoft.
Word + Entourage 2001 SE provides users with compatibility for documents created using Office 98 Macintosh Edition and Office 2001 for Mac. It’s also cross-platform compatible with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000 and Word XP.
Microsoft said that in addition to the Word and Entourage, the package sports Project Gallery, which provides a repository for customizable templates; Clip Art Gallery, which includes hundreds of images and a way to organize graphics and art; Address Book, a place to store contact information and a way to locate an address on a map and find driving directions via Expedia.com; and Calendar, which can be used to schedule events and set reminders.
Although the package was released to manufacturing today, Microsoft notes that Word + Entourage 2001 SE isn’t expected to hit store shelves until July. The package will cost US$149.
The SE package will run on Power PC equipped Macs running Mac OS 8.1 or higher. This version will not be Carbonized; a full Carbonized version of Microsoft Office is due this fall.