Microsoft Announces Word 6.0 for Windows, Newest Release of the World’s Best-selling Word Processor New Word Offers IntelliSense Technology That Eliminates Tasks by Delegating Work to the Computer NEW YORK - Oct. 19, 1993 - Microsoft Corporation today announced Word 6.0 for Windows*, a major upgrade to its best-selling word processing program for the Microsoft* Windows operating system. With millions of users worldwide using Microsoft Word on the Windows, Apple* Macintosh* and MS-DOS* platforms, Word has emerged as the new word processing leader. Microsoft Word was first released in 1983 and has since been at the forefront of providing innovative features to make everyday tasks easy. The new Word 6.0 for Windows redefines ease of use in word processing by offering innovations and enhancements, via Microsoft IntelliSense* technology, that eliminate many steps of everyday word processing tasks by delegating work to the computer. After doing extensive research on what users wanted and needed in a word processor, Microsoft set several major design goals for Word 6.0 for Windows, including making everyday tasks easier and faster, simplifying complex tasks, increasing product consistency and integration with other Microsoft Office applications, and providing an even easier transition for users of WordPerfect* for the DOS operating system. "Innovations like IntelliSense technology have allowed us to redefine ease of use in Word 6.0 for Windows," said Pete Higgins, senior vice president of desktop applications at Microsoft. "Studying users’ everyday word processing tasks and making them easier has been instrumental in making us the best-selling word processor in the world." Word Makes Everyday Tasks Easier and Faster =========================================== Word 6.0 for Windows offers innovations that go "beyond ease of use" to help users focus on their work, rather than their computers. Built into Word 6.0 for Windows, and every Microsoft Office program, is IntelliSense technology. IntelliSense technology senses what the user wants to do and intelligently produces the desired result, making routine tasks automatic and complex tasks easier. Examples of IntelliSense in Word 6.0 for Windows include AutoCorrect, AutoFormat and AutoSelect. * AutoCorrect. The innovative AutoCorrect feature automatically replaces errors in mistyped or misspelled words. For instance, if the user accidentally types "teh," it is automatically replaced with "the" as soon as the spacebar is pressed. AutoCorrect will also automatically capitalize the first word of a sentence or the first letter of any day of the week. It also catches common typing mistakes such as typing two capital letters in a row when starting a sentence. Users can add thousands of commonly mistyped or misspelled words to AutoCorrect to suit their personal typing needs. * AutoFormat. With the revolutionary AutoFormat feature in Word 6.0 for Windows, users can automatically format an entire document with one click on the toolbar. Undesirable formatting such as hard carriage returns, asterisks for bullets and improper trademark symbols are automatically cleaned up. Users can choose from more than 20 predesigned styles that are provided in the Style Gallery, or create their own styles. This innovative new AutoFormat feature represents more than two years of design and development work and the implementation of 400 design rules. * AutoSelect. With AutoSelect, selecting a word or a group of words is easy and fast because Word understands that a typical user selects complete words rather than just letters in words. If the user starts selecting text in the middle of the word, Word 6.0 for Windows goes back and automatically selects the beginning of the word. "The key IntelliSense technology in Word 6.0 for Windows, AutoFormat, was over two years in the making," said Chris Peters, general manager of the Word business unit at Microsoft. "We are very excited to show everyone this breakthrough in word processing technology." Word Simplifies Complex Tasks ============================= Word 6.0 for Windows also helps the user by simplifying complex tasks such as creating a newsletter or form. Users no longer need to learn complex sequences of steps because Word will act as a guide, prompting users through the process. * Wizards. Wizards are intelligent guides that interactively direct the user in creating newsletters, resumes, calendars, memos and other documents. Wizards ask design-related questions and create a document design based on the user’s responses. Wizards can also be easily customized to fit any user-specific requirements. * Forms. One of the top requests from users was the ability to create, modify and work with forms. Microsoft collected business forms from more than 100 companies around the world to better understand user needs. With Word 6.0 for Windows, users can now easily create business forms, and standard forms such as purchase orders and invoices are already included in the program. "We can increase productivity and efficiency with the new features in Word 6.0 for Windows," said Daniel Willis, lead analyst, 3M Corporation. "With time-saving features like AutoCorrect, AutoFormat and wizards, this new version helps us to get the job done quicker and easier." Unparalleled Consistency and Integration With Other Microsoft Office Applications ================================================================================= Word 6.0 for Windows now provides menus, toolbars and dialog boxes that are highly consistent with those in other Microsoft Office programs. The product also goes "beyond cut and paste" with full support of Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) 2.0, which is a key element of OfficeLinks delivering unparalleled integration of applications within the Office family. OfficeLinks makes it easy to create, edit and publish richer documents by providing such features as visual editing and cross- application drag and drop. * Visual editing. With visual editing it is easy to create compound documents using multiple Microsoft applications. Just one click on the toolbar enables a user to easily insert a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet into a Word document and manipulate it without ever leaving Word. * Drag and drop across applications. With OfficeLinks, users of Word 6.0 for Windows can easily drag and drop information from one Office application to another using a mouse. * Support for OLE Automation. Word 6.0 for Windows also goes "beyond macros" with support for OLE Automation, via WordBasic, which allows Word to be controlled by the Microsoft Visual Basic* programming system, Applications Edition. Transition From WordPerfect for DOS to Word Easier than Ever ============================================================ More than 1 million users of WordPerfect for DOS have already switched to Microsoft Word. As users of word processors for MS-DOS continue to shift to the Windows platform, Microsoft has continued to enhance the transition tools for WordPerfect users. * WordPerfect conversions. Microsoft analyzed, tested and converted thousands of WordPerfect documents to help ensure unsurpassed conversions. A team of Microsoft developers were dedicated solely to making the move from WordPerfect for DOS to Word 6.0 for Windows as easy as possible. * Enhanced Help for former WordPerfect users. Microsoft sponsored an intensive research effort with more than 200 WordPerfect users to study every aspect of their word processing usage. This research helped Microsoft develop a more robust Help system for the WordPerfect user. "When we were moving to Windows we spent six weeks evaluating Microsoft Word for Windows, WordPerfect and other word processors, and Word was the clear winner," said Kevin Combs, business requirements analyst for American Express. "Microsoft Word made the transition from WordPerfect for DOS really easy. We are excited about Word 6.0 for Windows." Additional Word 6.0 for Windows Enhancements ============================================ The features mentioned above are only a few of the hundreds of innovations and enhancements in Word 6.0 for Windows. Others include the following: * 100-level undo and redo. Users no longer need to worry about making mistakes with 100 levels of undo as a cushion. * Multiple-page view. Users can see how documents with several pages will look, and even edit them, using the new, multiple-page view. * Easily customizable toolbars and menus. Users can customize their toolbars and menus more easily now than ever. * Table AutoFormat. Users can easily format their tables with just a few clicks of the mouse. More than 20 table formatting styles are provided. * Tip of the Day. Users can get a Word 6.0 for Windows tip every time they start the program. * Shared code with upcoming versions for the Macintosh and Windows NT. Users can expect excellent consistency between Word 6.0 for Windows and upcoming versions of Word for the Macintosh, the most popular word processor for the Macintosh, and Word for the Windows NT* operating system, because the programs will be 80-percent core code. Word - The World’s Best-selling Word Processor According to Dataquest and Microsoft internal analysis of SPA Data, more people worldwide are acquiring Microsoft Word than any other word processor. "Users across the world have made Word today’s best-selling word processing product. Our goal with this new release was to continue to focus on user needs and to deliver a product that meets these needs better than anyone else. That is why we make such a sizeable investment in user research," noted Peters. "Because we want to retain our leadership position, we placed a lot of pressure on ourselves to create a truly superior product with Word 6.0 for Windows. We believe this new product delivers the functionality our current users demand, while meeting the needs of new users moving from MS-DOS to the Windows environment." Word Available Internationally ============================== Word 6.0 for Windows is scheduled to be available in more than 25 different languages within the next nine months, including French, German, Hebrew, Indonesian, Japanese, Spanish, Thai, Turkish and traditional Chinese. Product Support =============== The new Microsoft Support Network offers the most comprehensive technical support in the industry for word processing products. Microsoft Word users have access to unlimited, no-charge telephone support (toll charges may apply). Additionally, users can choose from a wide range of options, consistent across all products, to meet varying support needs. Corporate help desk and PC professionals can select from Priority Support and Premier Support, with 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week service via an 800 line. Pricing and Availability ======================== Microsoft Word version 6.0 for Windows is now available through resellers for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $495. Microsoft Word users can upgrade to Word 6.0 for Windows for a promotional SRP of $99 until March 1, 1994. After this date the price will be $129. Users of any other major word processor can upgrade to Word 6.0 for Windows for an SRP of $129. Microsoft Word is also available as part of Microsoft Office. Users of Word can upgrade to Microsoft Office for an SRP of $259 until Feb. 1, 1994. Users of any other major word processor can upgrade to Microsoft Office for an SRP of $299 until Feb. 1, 1994. System Requirements =================== System requirements include a personal computer with 286 or higher microprocessor; 3.5-inch high-density disk drive (5.25-inch high-density or 3.5-inch low-density disks also available); 4MB of memory; 18MB of hard disk space for typical install (5MB is minimum, 25MB is full install); Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1 or higher (or Microsoft Windows* for Workgroups version 3.1 or higher, or Microsoft Windows* for Pen computing); and EGA or higher-resolution monitor compatible with Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher. Microsoft Word is part of the Microsoft Office family, the number- one-selling set of software products. In addition to Word, the Microsoft Office family also includes Microsoft Excel, the best-selling spreadsheet program; Microsoft PowerPoint*, the world’s best-selling presentation graphics program; Microsoft Access*, the award-winning relational database program; and a license for the client component of Microsoft Mail (server software available separately). Powerful and easy to use individually, when used together the programs provide a consistent, integrated set of tools designed to increase productivity and meet business computing needs. Founded in 1975, Microsoft Corporation (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, MS-DOS, Visual Basic, PowerPoint and Microsoft Access are registered trademarks and Windows, IntelliSense and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corporation. Prices listed are U.S. suggested retail prices. Reseller prices may vary. Editor’s Note: Windows NT is a trademarked product name. Please do not abbreviate to NT. MS-DOS is a trademarked product name. Please do not abbreviate to DOS.