Microsoft is finally going to update Office for Mac, but not until the second half of 2015

It’s been nearly four years since Microsoft last updated Office for Mac. We now know when a new version is finally going to arrive.

The Redmond, Washington-based company has announced that the next version of Office for Mac will arrive in the second half of 2015. This will include new versions of Word for Mac, Excel for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, and OneNote for Mac. As if to appease Mac users, Microsoft has also announced the release of the newest version of Outlook for Mac.

The new Outlook for Mac includes:

Better performance and reliability as a result of a new threading model and database improvements.

A new modern user interface with improved scrolling and agility when switching between Ribbon tabs.

Online archive support for searching Exchange (online or on-premises) archived mail.

Master Category List support and enhancements delivering access to category lists (name and color) and sync between Mac, Windows and OWA clients.

Office 365 push email support for real-time email delivery.

Faster first-run and email download experience with improved Exchange Web Services syncing.

So why has it taken so long for Microsoft to retire Office for Mac 2011? They note:

Historically we have released a new version of Office for Mac approximately six to eight months after Office for Windows. However, following the release of Office 365 we made the conscious decision to prioritize mobile first and cloud first scenarios for an increasing number of people who are getting things done on-the-go more frequently. This meant delivering and continuing to improve Office on a variety phones (iPhone, Windows Phone, and Android) and tablets (iPad and Windows)—brought together by the cloud (OneDrive) to help people stay better organized and get things done with greater efficiency at work, school, home and everywhere between.

After years of development, Microsoft released Microsoft Word for iPad, Microsoft Excel for iPad, and Microsoft PowerPoint for iPad in March.

There are a number of ways to download the newest version of Outlook for Mac:

Office 365 Commercial customers can get the new Outlook for Mac by accessing their Office 365 Portal, (Gear icon > Office 365 Settings > Software > Outlook for Mac icon) or visiting the Software page.

Office 365 consumer subscribers can get the new Outlook for Mac by going to their My Account page.

If you already have Office for Mac 2011 and Outlook for Mac 2011 on your Mac, Microsoft has released a help article for further guidance.