Microsoft Unveils Microsoft Office Version 4 Featuring New IntelliSense Technology Microsoft Office Applications Offer Unprecedented Consistency and Integration NEW YORK - Oct. 19, 1993 - In a worldwide announcement today, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates unveiled Microsoft* Office version 4, the newest edition of the most popular office suite for the Microsoft Windows* operating system. The Office family includes the best-selling Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, the Microsoft PowerPoint* presentation graphics program, the Microsoft Access* database management system and a workstation license for Microsoft Mail. The announcement, at New York’s Hudson Theater at the Hotel Macklowe, was broadcast by satellite downlink to an audience of more than 50,000 people worldwide. Featured in the presentation were the new Microsoft Excel 5.0, Word 6.0 and PowerPoint 4.0. "Office 4 represents a major shift in the way people will be using desktop applications," said Gates. "Just as the move from MS-DOS-based applications to graphical applications resulted in new levels of usability and productivity, we believe the move from the current generation of applications to the new world of information-centric applications will result in tremendous increases in user productivity." "With Office 4, we had three major goals," said Pete Higgins, senior vice president of desktop applications at Microsoft Corporation. "We wanted to move beyond current standards in ease of use, integration and customization. With IntelliSense technology, we’ve made the individual applications in Office dramatically easier to use. With our increased focus on consistency and OfficeLinks, we’ve made it far easier to use the applications together. And by incorporating technology of Visual Basic into Office, we’ve made it much easier for MIS managers, Solution Providers and corporate developers to use Office as a foundation for custom application development." Microsoft Office outsells its nearest competitor by five to one, with more than 2.5 million units shipped worldwide, and shipments for individual Office applications now total more than 22 million. IntelliSense Technology Promotes Ease of Use ============================================ Microsoft Office version 4 raises the ease-of-use bar by incorporating new Microsoft IntelliSense* technology, which makes everyday tasks automatic and complex tasks easier. IntelliSense technology senses what users want to do and intelligently produces the desired result. In fact, the 100 most common tasks users perform with Microsoft Office can now be accomplished in one step. Examples of IntelliSense technology in the new Word version 6.0 include AutoCorrect, which automatically corrects common typing and misspelling errors, and AutoFormat, an innovative feature that automatically formats an entire Word document in one step. Other examples include Microsoft Excel version 5.0’s TipWizard * assistant, designed to observe a user’s actions and then offer hints about how to get that work done faster, and PowerPoint version 4.0’s AutoContent Wizard, which actually helps users develop appropriate content for their presentations, as well as organize and present the information in the most effective way. Attention to Consistency Leverages Learning =========================================== Microsoft Office version 4 programs are designed to work together seamlessly, sharing a common user interface design that makes it easy for people to learn and use the products. Having a high level of consistency helps users feel comfortable using multiple applications together. Some of the many areas of consistency in Office include the following: * Menu Bars. Eight out of nine menu titles are identical and are located in the same position across applications. * Pull-down Menus. Office applications have consistent grouping of commands where appropriate. * Toolbars and Toolbar Buttons. Two-thirds of the toolbar icons are the same and located in the same position across Office applications. Customizing toolbars is easy and done the same way across applications. * Dialog Boxes. Dialogs for common operations (e.g., File Open) share the same layout and similar capabilities, controls and command buttons. * Short cut Menus. All are identical where appropriate and all are context-sensitive, appearing with the click of the right mouse button. Shared Components ================= Microsoft Office version 4 applications share a number of components, including the spelling checker, custom user dictionary, Microsoft Graph, Microsoft Query Tool, equation editor, ClipArt Gallery, font effects, graphics filters, setup, and text conversion filters. Specific features within Office also share the same code, for example, Find File and routing capabilities. Using common components across all Office applications saves disk space and leverages learning. Seamless Information Sharing With OfficeLinks and Rich OLE 2.0 Support ====================================================================== Microsoft OfficeLinks goes beyond the concept of cut and paste and raises it to a new level of integration by making it easier for users to share information among applications and to accomplish common cross- application tasks. With OfficeLinks, users can focus on their work rather than the tools they’re using. The foundation for many of the OfficeLinks tools is rich support for Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) 2.0, the latest version of the open industry standard that makes it seamless and easy for users to move and share information between applications. Because of OLE 2.0, users can edit "objects" (e.g., a spreadsheet chart) within a word processing document without ever leaving the document, then drag and drop objects across applications. In addition, Microsoft has built upon the foundation of great OLE 2.0 support to address specific cross-application needs; for example, to insert a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet directly into Word documents or PowerPoint presentations, the user simply clicks on a Microsoft Excel worksheet button that sits directly on the Word and PowerPoint toolbars. Widespread industry support for OLE 2.0 means users will reap the benefits of customized desktop solutions designed specifically to meet their needs. "With Office 4, Microsoft has succeeded in creating the most tightly integrated set of applications on the market - in large part because of OLE 2.0 - bringing the industry a quantum leap closer to Microsoft’s vision of ‘Information At Your Fingertips,’ " said Ken Gardner, president of ReportSmith, Inc., maker of the ReportSmith client-server database query and reporting program. "OLE 2.0 also widely expands users’ choices because they can easily integrate literally hundreds of third-party value-added applications." "The combination of OLE technology and the Microsoft Office suite provides a framework for users to handle information in ways they never could before," said David Skok, president and founder of Watermark Software, Inc., in Burlington, Massachusetts. The company manufactures Watermark Discovery Edition, image-enabling software that lets users scan paper and fax-based documents as Image Objects into any OLE-compliant Windows-based application. "This framework allows developers like Watermark to provide users with a new way to electronically handle paper- based documents through image-enabling applications for Windows, including Microsoft Office. We are delighted to be part of Microsoft’s ongoing effort to set new standards for productivity in business applications." The Microsoft Office Manager ============================ Microsoft Office version 4 also includes the Microsoft Office Manager (MOM), a set of tools that makes it easy to use Office products together. MOM comes with a customizable toolbar that makes it easy to launch and switch between Office applications. MOM also includes the first and only integrated installation process for office suites, enabling customers to easily install all the applications in Office or uninstall components they don’t want. MOM will automatically clean up any files associated with uninstalled modules. MOM also includes Cue Cards that step people through the most common cross-application tasks. Office Incorporates New Microsoft Visual Basic, Applications Edition ==================================================================== The integration of the Microsoft Visual Basic* programming system, Applications Edition in Microsoft Office enables developers to use Microsoft Office as a solutions-development platform. Visual Basic is the most widely used development environment for custom Windows-based applications today. The development community using Visual Basic includes a worldwide infrastructure of hundreds of thousands of VARs, MISs, and third-party Solution Providers. Integrated into Microsoft Office, Visual Basic for Applications provides full applications programmability - the ability to create custom solutions with Microsoft Office and other existing, reusable application components, rather than creating solutions from scratch. With Visual Basic for Applications, Microsoft Office solution builders can "remotely control" functionality in supporting applications through the programmability interface in the industry-standard OLE 2.0 architecture. American International Adjustment Company, Inc. (AIAC), a subsidiary of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), contracted with Landau & Associates, a Microsoft Solution Provider, specializing in Visual Basic and Visual Basic for Applications programming, to assist in implementing a customized module. AIG is the leading U.S.-based international insurance organization and the largest underwriter of commercial property and casualty insurance in the United States. "AIAC has re-engineered a paper-intensive process using Office applications and the Visual Basic programming language," said John R. Flynn, senior vice president of AIAC. "All the customized documents are electronically transferred in an embedded object using OLE 2.0, and transported by Mail. We have built a sophisticated insurance claims management system that automates many of the tasks that were previously handled manually." "The key here was the integration of Office products using Visual Basic for Applications," said Mike Landau, president and CEO of Landau & Associates, based in Morristown, New Jersey. "We were able to leverage our expertise in Visual Basic, easily apply that knowledge to Visual Basic for Applications, and work with the new Office applications to create a custom solution." PaineWebber, widely recognized as a leader in equity research, was also able to dramatically increase productivity in its publications production department by moving to Microsoft Office. PaineWebber worked with Micro Modeling Associates, Inc., a Microsoft Solution Provider, to re-engineer the production process, primarily using Word and Microsoft Excel, thereby reducing production time by 40 percent. "Now the analysts can pull up a screen and work directly on whatever part of the publication they need to create," said Candace Schwartz, PaineWebber’s vice president of research publications, based in New York. "And it’s easy to update their numbers and respond to changes quickly without having to recreate the wheel." "The ability to have really nice integration between Office applications is a big plus, and it was critical to the success of the PaineWebber solution," said Roy Wetterstrom, a managing partner at New York-based Micro Modeling. "And the new Office 4 with Visual Basic for Applications will raise it to a whole new level. It was great before; now it’s going to be incredible." Office on Microsoft Windows, the Macintosh and Microsoft Windows NT =================================================================== Users can choose between two Office editions, Microsoft Office Standard for Windows and Macintosh*. Microsoft Office Standard for Windows includes Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and a workstation license for Microsoft Mail (server software available separately). Microsoft Office Professional for Windows includes all of the above plus the Microsoft Access database management program. File formats for Microsoft Office Standard for Windows and the Macintosh are compatible across platforms, allowing users in mixed environments to share files, macros, text, data and graphics. * The new Office for Macintosh will include core code versions of Word, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, and is expected to ship in the first half of 1994. * Work is also underway on 32-bit versions of Office family applications that run on the Microsoft Windows NT* operating system. Microsoft expects to ship 32-bit versions of Word and Microsoft Excel for Intel*-based systems in the second quarter of 1994, and Digital* Alpha AXP* and MIPS* versions of Word and Microsoft Excel in the third quarter of 1994. * In addition, through the Equal Application Adapter, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel for Sun Microsystems* SPARC, Silicon Graphics and Hewlett-Packard*, and UNIX* platforms will be available from Quorum Software Systems in the second quarter of 1994; through the SoftWindows emulator from Insignia Solutions, Sun SPARC and Hewlett Packard versions of Word and Microsoft Excel will be available in the first quater of 1994. Product Support Services ======================== A wide variety of product support options are available to Office users, including free phone support. All Microsoft Office support engineers are cross-application experts, so customers can call one telephone number to access help for all Office applications: (206) 635- 7056 for Microsoft Office for Windows, (206) 635-7055 for Office for the Macintosh. In the last two years, Microsoft has increased its staffing and operational investment in Product Support Services by 200 percent, greatly improving its technical support to better serve customers. According to a recent independent report, certified by the Software Support Professionals Association, Microsoft’s support satisfaction ratings for word processor and spreadsheet products outranked WordPerfect, Lotus and Borland by a significant margin. Microsoft Product Support continues to offer unlimited no-charge standard support for all Microsoft desktop applications, Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (PDT). Customers can also call in the evenings and on weekends for a nominal fee ($2 per minute, $25 per incident, or $195 annual subscription). Customers using any Microsoft desktop application now have the option to access support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Pricing and Availability ======================== Microsoft Office Standard version 4 is available for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $750. The SRP for Microsoft Office Professional is $899. Through Feb. 1, 1994, users of any Microsoft Office family application can upgrade to Microsoft Office Standard for a special promotional price of $259. Users of other qualifying programs can trade up to Microsoft Office Standard for an SRP of $299 during the same time frame. Users who obtain either the Office Standard version upgrade or trade up are eligible to upgrade to Office Professional through Feb. 1, 1994, by obtaining a special upgrade to Microsoft Access for $99. Large organizations may also acquire Microsoft Office through the Microsoft Select software licensing program. Microsoft Select includes options for maintenance, an easy way for large organizations to keep their users on the most current versions of Microsoft products. International Versions ====================== Microsoft Office version 4 is scheduled to be available in more than two dozen languages, including International English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, and French Canadian. Other international versions are under development for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Turkish languages. System Requirements To ensure flexibility and accommodate various hard disk space needs, users can choose from three installation options: Typical, Laptop (minimum), and Complete/Custom. Microsoft Office Standard requires 16.5MB of free disk space for the minimum installation and 48MB of free disk space for the full installation. Microsoft Office Professional requires 24.5MB of free disk space for the minimum installation and 62MB of free disk space for the full installation. Microsoft Office Standard and Microsoft Office Professional require a minimum of 4MB of memory when running under Microsoft Windows 3.1; 6MB is recommended. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day. ######### Microsoft, PowerPoint, Microsoft Access, MS-DOS and Visual Basic are registered trademarks and Windows, IntelliSense, TipWizard and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Digital is a registered trademark and Alpha AXP is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation. MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Computer Systems, Inc. Sun Microsystems is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Hewlett-Packard is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company. UNIX is a registered trademark of Unix System Laboratories. Editor’s Note: MS-DOS is a trademarked product name. Please do no abbreviate to DOS. Windows NT is a trademarked product name. Please do not abbreviate to NT. Prices listed are U.S. suggested retail prices. Reseller prices may vary.