Microsoft restates its Macintosh allegiance

April 11, 2002 (PC World)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. -- Microsoft Corp. still loves Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh, even as the current five-year deal between the companies comes to a close. Microsoft's plan: Remain focused on creating products that make it easier for Macintoshes and Windows PCs to communicate. The software vendor will soon take that plan so far as to make Apple products compatible with its much ballyhooed .Net plan.

That was the message Kevin Browne, general manager of Microsoft's Macintosh business unit, delivered to customers and developers at a program Wednesday at the Microsoft campus here.

Microsoft's 150-member Macintosh team will continue to crank out new applications, including a service release update of Microsoft Office for OS X this spring and a revamped MSN Messenger, he said.

Browne didn't comment, however, on whether Microsoft might again invest in Apple. Microsoft accompanied the technology exchange agreement with a $150 million stock purchase that provided Apple with a much-needed cash infusion.

"The [Macintosh] Business Unit was formed before the technology agreement," Browne said. "The technology agreement has never determined what we do on the Mac. We would welcome another such agreement, but it isn't necessary for our continued work with Apple."

The 1997 agreement was a business matter to encourage cooperation between the platform rivals, Microsoft representatives noted. No Apple representatives commented at the presentation, although two vice presidents and development team members from the company were present. Nonetheless, Apple has clearly benefited from Microsoft's application support.

Updates due

The next of those applications due out is a May or June service release update for Office for OS X, which Apple originally shipped in November, Browne said. Microsoft will post the SR-1 as a free download that includes an estimated 1,000 "tweaks, bug fixes and performance enhancements," he said. "Some things are dramatically more stable."

SR-1 will provide full support for anti-aliased text, Browne said. It will also add support for Open Database Connectivity, which lets the application integrate with server-level databases such as Microsoft's SQL Server and Oracle Corp.'s database, Browne noted. It will enable users to import files from FileMaker, the dominant Macintosh desktop database and one of the few leading Macintosh applications that Microsoft doesn't make.

Synchronization with Palm devices is also in development, but the technology may be released later if it isn't ready in time for SR-1, Browne added.

With Word, Excel and Office, Microsoft dominates the field in Macintosh software, and its Internet Explorer browser is more popular than Apple's browser. FileMaker Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based subsidiary of Apple, leads in database sales on the Macintosh, however, and Microsoft doesn't plan to enter that market, Browne said.

Committed to OS X

Just as Apple is betting the company on OS X, Microsoft plans to develop new applications geared specifically to the latest version of the Macintosh operating system, Browne said.

The next version of Office will continue Microsoft's emphasis on a "Mac-like" interface rather than providing a Windows application on a Macintosh platform, according to Microsoft representatives. Tighter integration with other personal devices, such as handhelds, and tools to enhance teamwork with other platforms are also in development, Browne said. Microsoft expects to ship an update to Office for the Macintosh in the middle of next year.

A new version of MSN Messenger will probably be released about the same time as Office SR-1, Browne said. New functions will include voice over IP support and file transfer capabilities, which are already in the Windows version, said Erik Ryan, product manager with the Macintosh Business Unit. MSN Messenger 2.1 is part of Office.

Microsoft is also updating its Internet Explorer browser for the Macintosh. "It's not the product we want it to be," Browne said. "We want to improve performance, implement a security infrastructure and implement HTML and XML rendering." Developers are also redesigning the interface.

And now, .Net

Microsoft plans to fashion a role for the Macintosh in its .Net scenario, a pre-eminent Microsoft strategy that emphasizes collaborative projects and that will enable Web services among disparate public and private networks.

.Net is intended to take advantage of the growing digital interconnectedness of business and personal pursuits. Companies need to communicate and collaborate across distributed departments and with customers and business partners, Microsoft executives said. The company's .Net architecture involves a number of building blocks that can integrate different tasks, from sharing files to linking databases when appropriate.

It's a challenge already familiar to Macintosh users, Browne noted. "When we talk to Macintosh customers, integration is one of the hardest things they face," he said. Typically, about 15% of a corporation runs on Macintosh systems and the rest on PCs -- and they need to communicate.

Microsoft envisions its .Net services supporting a range of client platforms, including Macintosh and Windows PCs and notebooks, but also handhelds, tablet PCs and phones. The Macintosh's role in the .Net universe is as a client, however, not as a server, Browne said. Microsoft doesn't plan to release server-level versions of its development tools for the Macintosh, reserving those tasks for Windows.

"We'll create client software," Browne says. "What we won't do, at this point, is to promote .Net as the thing you do if you're a Macintosh [software developer]."