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Melissa Davis
TheMacMommy
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Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac: Back on Track

Back to School Season is among us. Out here in the west, we’ve already been back for a few weeks now, but I know many of you are just getting into the swing of things. Routines can be challenging to implement and I bet you’re inundated with all the stuff kids need these days. Picking out clothes to outfit your kids is one daunting task, and picking out software to outfit your budding student’s Mac shouldn’t be one more thing on that already long list. When families have the right tools to get organized, daily activities can become more manageable.

In this multi-part review series, I aim to give you the advice you’re looking for when it comes to getting the right publishing software for your Back to School Mac.

I also have some project ideas I’d like to share. As for the clothes, sorry, but you’re on your own!

Last month, Microsoft provided me with a license of Microsoft Office 2011 for the Mac Home and Business Edition for the purposes of evaluation. Along with it, they included a wonderful Back to School Backpack full of goodies. Everything goes better with metaphors, so I’ll attempt to utilize those analog tools to compare with the digital tools in the Microsoft Office 2011 suite in my subsequent reviews.

To summarize what I’ve experienced after a few weeks of using Microsoft Office 2011 for the Mac, I’d have to say I’m impressed with a few caveats. I wouldn’t be doing my blog justice if I didn’t critique it before I geek it.

Let’s be up front and comment on the track record. The last Microsoft Office for the Mac was 2008 and it was not a treat to use. I know one too many Mac users who used it only because they had to, not because they wanted to. No one can deny that Microsoft Office is pretty much the standard in the corporate world. The education world must follow suit so students graduate knowing how to use the tools they’ll be using out in the field. In my professional opinion, the 2011 edition of Microsoft Office is on track for turning it around. The Mac development team has been doing their homework when it comes to usability and consistency, but this Mom isn’t prepared to give them high marks just yet. There is still a bit of work to do. (What can I say, moms want the best, so more on that later.)

At this point, I can only see improvements on the horizon and I would definitely recommend Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac-using students and professionals. The price gap on the single user license has closed in on iWork and the redesign is packed with many features. Despite the little nags I experience along the way (I’ll explain in more detail later), the most noticeable improvement is speed. Word now launches just about as fast as Pages and there is a noticeable speed improvement for documents that contain mathematical equations. That alone could be a deal-breaker for high school and college students who are studying any of the sciences where they are required to create lab reports.

If you’re a power user on the Mac or on a tight budget, or your needs are not those of a student or professional writer, I know you may be thinking, “What about iWork?” (Notice there is no ‘s’ on the end of iWork!)

Ok, I am still a loyal iWork fan and it’s still my preference; however, it is not as widely accepted as Microsoft Office. For the purposes if this review, my target audience will be students and professionals who work in an education or corporate environment where they must slide between Windows and Mac operating systems. I will add in comparisons to iWork features when I feel it’s necessary in future reviews. This isn’t an iWork vs Microsoft Office smackdown; although that may happen in the future depending on how both suites progress over time in the way of upgrades and enhancements.

 Microsoft Office 2011 for the Mac Buying Guide 
pricing is US dollars

• If you are a student or work for a school (in some cases even retired from working at a school — couldn’t hurt to ask) then you are eligible for a discount. I recommend you take advantage of it. Also check into military discounts. I have heard of some military personnel (or their spouse) who have purchased a Mac for a discount and no taxes. Check out your local Base Exchange to see if software for discount is available.

• If you have a choice to purchase an online download, do it. Be kind to our planet and get instant gratification! What could be better? It may cost a little less and there is one less cardboard box lying around. The online versions of tutorials are much more helpful than the printed versions that may come in the box. These days there is less and less printed material that ships with the disc anyhow. If you catch a free shipping deal, you might also skip paying additional taxes depending on where you live.

• If you don’t absolutely need Outlook for email, calendar, and task management, then skip it and just get the Home and Student Edition where you can install it on 3 Macs. (Ask yourself if you feel Outlook is worth an additional $50.00.)

• For students, Microsoft Office is about double the price of iWork, depending on where you buy, but consider it is packed with more features than the current offering of iWork and it will be more compatible with Windows versions.

• To whittle it down even more, compare the 3-license price of Microsoft Office 2011 Home and Student Edition versus the Family Pack 5-license price of iWork and now you’re down to about a $50.00 difference.

• Sure, you can export different versions from iWork, but perhaps paying $50.00 more affords you the time and energy you’ll save from doing that extra step. Don’t stop there though.

• Take a look at the pricing on the single license versions of each available on Amazon.com. Compare iWork to Microsoft Office 2011 Home and Student Edition single install and then there is only about a $10.00 price difference. (Hmm. I wonder why the Apple Store doesn't list the single user license?)

• You can justify the extra cost of Microsoft Office over iWork if you really need and like the additional features, newly designed interface and compatibility between Mac and Windows as many do.

• Consider the trade offs of price over convenience. If you’re a student or professional working in an environment where Microsoft Office is the standard on both Mac and PC, if you must collaborate using tracked Word documents between Mac and PC or even other Mac users, or if you are using advanced mathematical computations, then Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac is for you.

• If you just want simplicity and do not have the need to collaborate extensively and you’re not a science major, then iWork is for you. Granted, there are workarounds for using iWork with mathematical equations and it can be done — it just seems for now you can hit the ground running with Microsoft Office easier if you’re a scientist or mathematician. (Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong though. I’d love to hear from science or math majors on how they use iWork.)

    Microsoft Office for Mac 2011
  Home and Student Edition  
Office for Mac 2011 Home and Student - Single User


Office for Mac 2011 Home and Student - Family Pack (1 User/3 Installs) [Download]
Apple.com educational price for 3 installs box is $149.95 and they do not currently offer a single license
If you prefer the boxed version, it’s currently the same price, free shipping from Amazon
Office for Mac 2011 Home and Student - Family Pack (1 User/3 Installs) [DVD in Box]


    Microsoft Office for Mac 2011
  Home and Business Edition  
Apple.com educational Price: 1 license $199.95 or 2 licenses $279.95


This is just the first of my reviews for Microsoft Office 2011 for the Mac. I hope you’ve found this information helpful thus far in your Back to School purchasing decisions. Come back for more reviews on individual products, tools and features along with some constructive criticisms within the Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac suite. I’m thinking of calling the series “The Microsoft Mom Reviews” or something to that effect. I have projects I’ve been working on that I’d like to share with you and also talk about how we use Microsoft products in a predominately Apple household. Oh, the irony! Stay tuned to see if Microsoft can win over this TheMacMommy!

Windows users with Microsoft Office 2010 will want to check out this link for helpful tips on Back to School for the PC.

iWork (for comparison)
Single User
Amazon has it for $79.69 free shipping and depending on where you live, tax free
Apple.com educational price is $71.00, regular price $79.00, free shipping but tax added


Family Pack
Amazon has it for 99.85 free shipping and, depending on where you live, tax free
Apple.com price is $99.00 – no Apple educational discount available, free shipping but tax added

Why do I have duplicate app icons in my Launchpad?

via my Google+ post

Melts My Heart

This past weekend, Lucian said something that just melted my heart and I never want to forget it.

Nate and I were getting ready to go out on a date, thanks to our friends to offered to babysit for us. We have been trying to "date" more regularly now because, well, it's good for us. When you have little kids, it's really hard to find time for yourself let alone with your spouse. It feels good to take time out to shave, dress up and apply makeup or perfume once in a while.

I was sitting on the edge of our bed putting my earrings on. I had just finished most of my hair, makeup and put on some new scented moisturizer. I was feeling pretty decent about the outfit I had picked out.

Lucian was standing in the doorway staring at me. Sometimes he stares off into space like we all do, but this time he was watching me intently.

I looked over at him after a little while and he said to me,

"Mommy, I'm staring at your because you look so beautiful! And you smell so gooooood!"

Doesn't that just make you melt? I told him thank you very much and that his compliment made me feel so good.

He truly is the little boy of my dreams.

Then, Keagan barged into the room and proceeded to claw at my top and demanded to be nursed. That child has not met any cleavage he didn't like! Ah well, he won't always be a boobie boy — someday he'll wean and I'll miss it or he'll chase other girls around! I suppose I'm doing them a favor? ;)

I love to be needed and I love to be loved.

A few other little things of note from Lucian are some words he's made up that I think are just too cute.

(1) He calls hand sanitizer "hanitizer." Makes sense to me!
(2) I asked Lucian to get a pizza out of the upright freezer out back (yes, we keep our freezer, washing machine and dryer outside of the home here in the desert where those things just heat up the house unnecessarily!)

When he came back in, he said,

"Mommy, I brought the pizza in from the freezerator."

Freezerator — get it? Freezer that looks like a refrigerator = Freezerator.

Yep, that's my Lucian!

IGG Software Pledges One-Day Sales Revenue to Vermont Disaster Relief

August 29, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEIGG SOFTWARE PLEDGES ONE-DAY SALES REVENUE TO VERMONT DISASTER RELIEFMatching Donation Also Promised To Benefit Community Relief Efforts

(PUTNEY, VT) — In the aftermath of statewide flooding and destruction caused by Hurricane Irene, IGG Software today announced that 100% of sales revenue generated on Monday, August 29 will be donated to Vermont relief programs. Sales at both IGG’s online store and the Mac App Store will count toward the total. In addition, IGG will double that amount with a matching contribution of its own.

“IGG is a part of the Vermont community, and our community has suffered tremendous damage and loss,” said IGG president Ian Gillespie. “We’ve been given so much by Vermont, and now we’re fortunate to be able to give back.”

IGG Software, Inc. has been Vermont-based since shortly after its founding in 2003. The majority of its employees are also located in towns throughout Vermont, many of which were hit by devastating flash floods that destroyed homes, roads and bridges. Some of IGG’s team members were affected personally with significant property damage and, in one case, an emergency evacuation.

IGG’s software products include iBank 4, the leading Mac-only personal finance program; iBiz 4, a complete small business solution for time-tracking and invoicing; and iBiz Professional, a networkable package for teams in which multiple users generate billable hours.

The retail price of iBank 4 is $59.99; licensed users of iBank 3 can upgrade for $29.99. iBank 4 requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or higher, is Lion-ready, and will run on Macs using either Intel or PowerPC processors. The latest version can be downloaded at http://www.iggsoftware.com/ibank, where there is also access to a growing library of iBank 4 video tutorials.

iBiz 4 sells for $39.99, and upgrades are $19.99. iBiz Pro retails for $99.99 and includes one license for iBiz 4 Server and two licenses for iBiz 4 Client. IGG offers free trial downloads, free support and a 90-day unconditional guarantee on direct purchases from the IGG web store.

iBank 4 and iBiz 4 are also available on the Mac App Store. iBank 4 has been a number-one selling finance app, as well as the top-grossing finance app, since the launch of the Mac App Store in January.

IGG Software, Inc., was founded in 2003 by developer Ian Gillespie to offer intuitive, elegant and powerful applications for individuals and small business. Based in Putney, Vermont, its flagship products are iBank, for personal finance management, and iBiz, for time-tracking and billing. For further information, review licenses, or to schedule interviews with Ian Gillespie or Chief Architect James Gillespie, please contact IGG Marketing Director Scott Marc Becker: scott@iggsoftware.com.

'via Blog this'

Too Bad I'd Need to Move to Be an At-Home Advisor

I don't know why I never knew this position existed!

Perhaps because it's only available in 3 states: TN, UT and GA. What a bummer! Hey Apple, I already do this job. Can you add AZ to the list, pretty please?

What if you could enjoy all the comforts of home while working with the coolest new technology? What if you could tap into great employee benefits without even leaving your bedroom? What if that job also happens to be with America’s technology innovator? Now you can redefine work—your way—as an Apple At-Home Advisor. Welcome to your future.

Work the Way You Live

In this critical role, you’ll create another outstanding Apple experience for our customers. As the first point of contact, you’ll field calls from people with iPhone or Mac questions. You’ll provide award-winning customer service, troubleshooting, and support. You’ll use your technical expertise, creativity, and passion to improve people’s lives and put a smile on their faces. You’ll impress, engage, and inspire, all from the comfort of your own living room. Or den. Or bedroom.

Who We’re Looking For

You’ll work independently, from home, 40 hours a week. You’ll use your technical savvy to multitask across systems and applications, analyzing and resolving a variety of complex technical issues. You’ll need excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as the ability to effectively prioritize and manage your time. You’ll need to be a creative problem solver and decision maker who can self-motivate and work as part of our virtual team. You should also be comfortable navigating a Windows environment.

And Now for the Good Stuff

As a full-time Apple employee, you’ll be entitled to all the perks that come with working for America’s coolest company. These include fantastic benefits, employee discounts, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to people’s lives. What else? You’ll start to build a career with an amazing company. There’s no commute, so you’ll save on gas. You’ll reduce your carbon footprint by working from home for a green company. You can wear your bunny slippers to work, every day. You’ll redefine work.

Redefine Work for Yourself

If this sounds like the kind of opportunity that suits your passions, we’d like to hear from you.

Some Things You’ll Need

To be an At-Home Advisor, your workspace must meet specific criteria and you should have certain skills. Below are some of the requirements for this position.

A private workspace in your house, where ambient noise can be minimized during work hours.

A workspace with a desk and ergonomically fitted chair that allows proper installation of your technical equipment.*

An analog phone line that can be dedicated to contact center calls (monthly allowance provided by Apple).**

Internet service meeting minimum system requirements (monthly allowance provided by Apple).**

Self-motivation and the ability to work remotely from coworkers and management.

Technical savvy, including the ability to install, maintain, and troubleshoot your own hardware and software.

via apple.com

Posted via email from TheMacMommy