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By summer, Microsoft plans to release Office 2001, the latest version of its suite of work applications. And with it, the company continues its dogged conquest of the Mac desktop. Office already includes the Mac's top-selling word processor and spreadsheet (Word and Excel, respectively). Now, Microsoft plans to extend its dominance by adding a personal information manager, or PIM.
This is a feature unavailable in the Windows version of Office, demonstrating Microsoft's commitment to the Mac platform. But that level of commitment is a mixed blessing for the rest of the Mac software community. A PIM gives Mac users one less reason to exit Office to use another piece of software. And that, of course, is the point for Microsoft.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Microsoft shouldn't be free to enter the Mac market for PIMs. If the Microsoft code jockeys can design one that's better than the others on the market, more power to them.
MODEST COMEBACK.
But Microsoft is introducing its PIM at a time of transition in this segment of the Mac software market. Years ago, Mac PIMs abounded, and many of them were innovative and fun to use. But most, including Arrange (later renamed WebArranger), Personal Office Assistant, and one-time leader Datebook, folded or were folded into competitors. Today, the market is making a modest comeback, with such innovative programs as Personal Organizer and PowerSoft's revival of Up-to-Date.
How will these programs stack up against Microsoft's PIM? Like its competitors, Microsoft's offering will include the standard address book, calendar, and task list. And you'll be able to link contacts and appointments to tasks, also standard among PIMs today.
What's different is this: Microsoft's PIM will be tightly integrated with the other programs of Office. For example, you'll be able to easily copy addresses from the PIM into a letter typed in Word. That integration, if it works smoothly, is a potentially huge advantage -- especially in business, where Office dominates.
PLUGGING AWAY.
Microsoft's PIM is, by design, e-mail-centric. You'll be able to compose, organize, and send e-mail from the PIM. And the Microsoft PIM's e-mail functionality has powerful word-processing features. The PIM can highlight misspelled words and automatically correct many mistakes. You'll also be able to create numbered and bulleted lists within e-mail. And you'll be able to look up word definitions from the new built-in dictionary and thesaurus that will come with Office 2001. That's a first for any Mac PIM.
Another emphasis will be project management. That makes sense, given Office's popularity among office workers. For example, you'll be able to flag an Office file for follow-up, and the PIM will remind you of approaching deadlines.
All this sounds impressive. But Microsoft often has trouble delivering on what it promises. That's especially true in the early versions of its products. Impressive-sounding new features can be hard to find. Or they don't work as advertised or work too sluggishly to be of any use. I've found that, as a general rule, Microsoft software tends to be rich in features but unwieldy in practice.
But Gates & Co. plugs away with update after update that tends to improve the product. Sometimes that pays off big, as it did with Internet Explorer. In a few years, Explorer was transformed from a poor imitation of Netscape Navigator into the leading Web browser, at least in terms of market share. It's too early to tell if Microsoft's PIM will best other worthy competitors in the market. The company is sending me a beta version to try out. In a few weeks, I'll let you know if Microsoft has a winner in its newest Mac product.
Haddad, Atlanta-based correspondent for Business Week, is a long-time Apple Computer buff. Follow his column every week, only on BW Online EDITED BY BETH BELTON
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