Microsoft announces availability of Word + Entourage SE

Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit (MacBU) today announced the availability of its Word + Entourage Special Edition bundle. First announced June 11, the bundle will be available for limited time.

The Word + Entourage SE bundle is designed for users that do not need the full power — or spreadsheet and presentation applications — of Microsoft Office. In order to keep the price attractive to potential customers, some advanced tools — such as menu and toolbar customization, support for scripting, synchronization with Palm handhelds and business templates — are not included in Word + Entourage 2001 Special Edition, according to Microsoft. However, these features are offered in the complete Office 2001 for Mac suite for those users who need them.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for price-sensitive Mac users to take advantage of the industry’s most popular word-processing application and the new e-mail and personal information manager all for a great price,” said Kevin Browne, general manager of the Macintosh Business Unit at Microsoft. “Combine that with the fact that Word + Entourage SE users will also qualify for the special upgrade price to Office 10 for Mac OS X when it becomes available, and it’s clear this special package offers a lot of value.”

Similar to the full Office suite, Word + Entourage is compatible with Word 98 Macintosh Edition and Word 2001 for Mac, and is also cross-platform compatible with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000 and Word XP.

The SE bundle also includes:

Project Gallery: Users can quickly start projects with the Project Gallery’s customizable templates for resumes, catalogs, newsletters, calendars and more.

Clip Art Gallery: This gallery includes hundreds of images and provides tools to make it simpler to work with graphics and organize art.

Address Book: The comprehensive Address Book stores all contact information and allows users to locate an address on a map or find driving directions from Expedia.com.

Calendar: With the integrated calendar, users can easily organize their schedules and set reminders for important events and projects. The calendar also can be saved as a Web page so others can be notified about a schedule through e-mail and over the Internet.

The SE bundle requires Mac OS 8.1 or higher. This release is a Classic application and is not Carbonized for Mac OS X, although it will work in the Classic environment.

Microsoft Word + Entourage SE will be available in English and French versions for an estimated retail price of US$149. The English version is expected to reach stores the week of July 9, and the French version the week of Aug. 6.

Word + Entourage SE customers will have the option to upgrade to the full Office 2001 suite. They will also be able to upgrade to Office 10 for Mac OS X, once it’s available, for $149.