Microsoft to Add Exchange Support for Mac OS X

rgmoore writes "MacNN is reporting that Microsoft will finally make a full-fledged Exchange client for Mac OS X. Today, Mac users can only access the full range of Exchange services by using Outlook 2001, available only under Mac OS. Mac OS X users could either use Entourage, or they could run Outlook 2001 under the Classic environment. Microsoft is now promising to update Entourage so that it will be able to access all of Exchange's services, and they're even promising it will be available as a free update. Since many companies love to use Exchange and have made a big deal of Mac OS X's lack of a viable client, this is a big step forward for Mac users in a corporate environment."

Comments

If they didn't do it, Apple will... & still mi

[phillymjs]

The fact is that as bad as Exchange is (and it can be a pig to admin), there are precious few alternatives for a centralized email/groupware server. Especially one that integrates seamlessly with Office.

Yeah... but Apple might be working on one. They've got Mail, iCal and Address Book already-- all they need is a server app to tie them all together, and/or to make a single, new app that's a hybrid of the three of them.

And as for Office integration, Apple has already released Keynote, and rumors are flying of a new, allegedly-in-development, full-featured word processor called Document. No word of a spreadsheet yet, but they could sufficiently pump up the one in AppleWorks. Any doubters of how well Apple can integrate its apps with each other and the OS need only look at iLife.

If you step back and look at the big picture, it's pretty clear that Apple already has a lot of the disparate pieces of what they rely on Microsoft for-- and that with some work, those pieces could be tied together into a superior, Mac-based alternative to Outlook and Office.

There are many, many Mac users who despise Microsoft but grudgingly use their products because there's no truly viable alternative out there-- those people would switch in a minute if it meant they could cast off the Microsoft chains. Now that Apple seems to be willing to play hardball with Microsoft and release competing products, those people probably scare the shit out of Microsoft.

~Philly

Apple could do it's own...

[curious.corn]

after all osx already comes with all the components: mail, adreessbook, ical. Calendar sharing is a just a couple of dialogues and interfaces away. In iCal new appointmens could launch mail's compose window with the request preattached (no self-send stuff please! we don't want outlook virii) and the location availablity is just a dav calendar flagged to a resource rather than a person.
Apple just has to package a server config interface, add a couple of icons and documantation and roll it's own. Integrated for easy rollout, open (mime-atttach passing across apps) for the sophisticated that want the option, many specialized apps to appease the unixers, cool to stick it at Bill!