xdunlapx
Level 1 (20 points)

Q: Macbook Pro Retina with MS Office

How does MS Office (or any un-retina-optimized app) look on the Retina mbp? I'll be getting one and need MS Office Pro for college and have heard the text in a Word document (and I assume the other apps) look blurry. Is there a way to fix that? I've already got blurry vision so that's why I'm getting the Retina MBP (other than the awesome cool-factor of owning one!) lol

 

Will the text be blurry and if so how can I fix it? Is there an expected date that Microsoft is working on getting it fixed and an update sent out?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, MS Office, non-retina-optimized app

Posted on Jul 22, 2012 8:06 PM

by Kriswin,Solvedanswer
Kriswin Kriswin
Level 1 (90 points)
A:

I retract that last statement. People on the Microsoft Answers websites have no idea as to what could happen. Someone even wrote:

MarkXPII wrote:

 

After a very painful 20 minute discussion with a pre-sales rep at Microsoft I can only conclude that Retina support will come with a new release (not update to 2011) of Office and that update could come this or next year.  i.e. be comfortable with current situation for up to 1.5 years unless anyone has any hacks around this.  Thanks for the LED font smoothing - I'll head back to the store and give it a try.

 

Original link: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macword/when-will-ms- office-for-mac-2011-have-a-software/0dd215a2-89f7-49cd-bf65-c2bc12e55ee1

 

I'd honestly hold off on getting MS Office until they make their intentions clear to update/optimize MS Office 2011. I personally am waiting until 2013 as I'm content with iWork and what it does.

Posted on Jul 23, 2012 6:42 AM

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xdunlapx

Q: Macbook Pro Retina with MS Office

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Kriswin,

    Kriswin Kriswin Jul 23, 2012 6:30 AM in response to xdunlapx
    Level 1 (90 points)
    Jul 23, 2012 6:30 AM in response to xdunlapx

    Indeed it does look blurry [my cousin ordered his on day 1 and got his a couple of weeks ago].

     

    BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS:

    If you purchased MS Office [not illegally], you should be able to update it once Microsoft releases its update to optimize it for retina display.

     

    Undoubtedly it should come soon. How soon is up to Microsoft. It should be within weeks, if not one or two months, honestly depending on what Microsoft wants to do.

     

    I'm not sure that they have released a set timeline, but to keep sales up against iWork and other word processing / spreadsheet / presentation sets, they will have to eventually optimize it for rMBP [iWork is still yet to optimize as well, which is uncanny as Apple did indeed create iWork].

  • by Kriswin,Solvedanswer

    Kriswin Kriswin Jul 23, 2012 6:42 AM in response to Kriswin
    Level 1 (90 points)
    Jul 23, 2012 6:42 AM in response to Kriswin

    I retract that last statement. People on the Microsoft Answers websites have no idea as to what could happen. Someone even wrote:

    MarkXPII wrote:

     

    After a very painful 20 minute discussion with a pre-sales rep at Microsoft I can only conclude that Retina support will come with a new release (not update to 2011) of Office and that update could come this or next year.  i.e. be comfortable with current situation for up to 1.5 years unless anyone has any hacks around this.  Thanks for the LED font smoothing - I'll head back to the store and give it a try.

     

    Original link: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macword/when-will-ms- office-for-mac-2011-have-a-software/0dd215a2-89f7-49cd-bf65-c2bc12e55ee1

     

    I'd honestly hold off on getting MS Office until they make their intentions clear to update/optimize MS Office 2011. I personally am waiting until 2013 as I'm content with iWork and what it does.

  • by xdunlapx,

    xdunlapx xdunlapx Jul 23, 2012 9:29 AM in response to Kriswin
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Jul 23, 2012 9:29 AM in response to Kriswin

    Ok, thanks Kriswin. I will hold off buying Office and I'll buy iWork for the time being. Thanks I just hope that by the time I need Office they will have optimized it for retina. I think I can use iWork for about a year as I won't need Access until probably a year from now. Though I hope it's compatible enough in formatting that I won't get docked points for my assignments. I've heard that my college will do that if the formatting is not perfect. So if it comes down to that I'll buy it but otherwise I'll hold off.

     

    Thanks for the info

  • by makan1,

    makan1 makan1 Jul 23, 2012 10:12 AM in response to xdunlapx
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Jul 23, 2012 10:12 AM in response to xdunlapx

    Microsoft has confirmed that it does not plan to release Office 2013 for OS X but instead will release an update to Office for Mac 2011, reports The Verge.

     

    Microsoft confirmed to us that there is no Office for Mac 2013 release planned. "We haven't announced the next release of Office for Mac," says a Microsoft spokesperson. Office 2013, available for Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs, will include support for a new streaming version of Office with a focus on cloud features. Microsoft last rolled out a Service Pack 2 update to its Office for Mac 2011 software in April -- patching some previous Outlook issues. Office 2013 and the Office for Mac 2011 update are both expected to ship early next year.

     

    The update will bring support for SkyDrive storage and Office 365 allowing them to save and retrieve documents. Office for Mac licenses will count towards an Office 365 Home Premium subscription.

     

    This from http://m.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=23304

     

    Hope it helps

  • by Kriswin,Helpful

    Kriswin Kriswin Jul 23, 2012 10:26 AM in response to makan1
    Level 1 (90 points)
    Jul 23, 2012 10:26 AM in response to makan1

    I would take this as more valid proof than a post on MacRumors [again, the 'rumors' part of the name]. But still, it states in that article that it will be shipped early next year [Jan-Mar 2013 is considered early 2013.

     

    I'd still hold off on it if an update wouldn't come in the following weeks.

  • by Gerry Brown,

    Gerry Brown Gerry Brown Jul 23, 2012 1:01 PM in response to Kriswin
    Level 3 (795 points)
    Jul 23, 2012 1:01 PM in response to Kriswin

    BTW - Can't one open Office in lower resultion?  See this link.

  • by NW Aviator,

    NW Aviator NW Aviator Aug 12, 2012 7:45 AM in response to xdunlapx
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 12, 2012 7:45 AM in response to xdunlapx

    Follow this process to disable low resolution in MS Word, it does work.  The only nuance is that when you open a document, it will be in low res.  You MUST minimize it and THEN expand it.  It will open up in high-res.  Yes, you have to do that everytime you open a document.  A slight pain, but better than nothing.

     

    http://www.cultofmac.com/182025/use-this-quick-trick-to-force-microsoft-word-to- use-retina-display/?utm_medium=twit&utm_campaign=spread-us