Microsoft Office For Mac To Ship Oct. 26Microsoft Office For Mac To Ship Oct. 26

Microsoft Office 2010 In Pictures

Microsoft has set an Oct. 26 release date for Office for Mac 2011.

In addition, the software maker said Tuesday that preorders for the latest version of its desktop productivity suite for the Mac OS could be placed at Amazon.com. For most consumers, the suite will be available in two editions -- Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 and Office for Mac Home and Business 2011.

Besides adding a number of features, Microsoft claims the overall performance of the suite has been significantly improved. For example, the company has boosted the launch speed of each application and users should notice that each application runs faster overall, Microsoft said in the Office for Mac blog.

The Home and Student version is priced at $119, while the Home and Business version will cost $199. The latter is more expensive because it includes Outlook, as well as the basic offerings of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Messenger.

An academic version that is essentially the same as the business version will sell for $99 to qualified buyers from colleges and universities.

Microsoft is also making family, or group, packs available for the student and business editions. The Family Pack for Home and Student, which allows up to three installations per household, is $149. The Home and Business Multi-Pack is priced at $279, and allows two installations for a user with two Macs.

Microsoft is also offering a Technology Guarantee Program for Mac Office. The program lets people who bought Mac Office 2008 starting Aug. 2 to upgrade to the latest edition at no additional cost.