Macintosh Business Unit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Macintosh Business Unit | |
 |
|
| Type | Operating unit of Microsoft Corporation |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 7, 1997 |
| Headquarters | Redmond, Washington, USA |
| Key people | Roz Ho, General Manager (since December 18, 2002[1]) Ben Waldman and Kevin Browne (previous General Managers) |
| Industry | Computer software |
| Products | Microsoft Office Microsoft Messenger Virtual PC |
| Employees | 180 (2005) |
| Website | www.microsoft.com/mac/ |
Macintosh Business Unit (informally known as Mac BU or MacBU) is an operating unit of Microsoft Corporation that produces software for the Apple Macintosh platform. Formed on January 7, 1997[2], the Mac BU currently employs more than 180 people, is situated within Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division and is one of the largest developers of Macintosh software outside of Apple Inc.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Software
Mac BU currently develops Macintosh versions of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Messenger, and Remote Desktop Client. Other software developed (but no longer maintained) by Mac BU include Internet Explorer (development ceased in 2003),[4] Virtual PC,[5] and the MSN for Mac OS X browser (cancelled May 31, 2005).
[edit] History
Prior to the Mac BU, Microsoft has developed Macintosh software – in fact, dating to 1984 when Microsoft released Word 1.0 for Macintosh. However, with the rise and dominance of Windows in the 1990s, there has been fears that Microsoft might stop developing Macintosh versions of key products, notably Microsoft Office. Thus, Mac BU was established in 1997 with a five-year commitment by Microsoft to continue developing and supporting Macintosh software – a pledge most recently renewed on January 10 2006 at the Macworld Conference & Expo.
[edit] Trivia
- The Unit is not the sole developer of Macintosh software within Microsoft. Software titles, such as Windows Media Player for Mac were developed by other teams in Microsoft.
- Until recently, the Mac BU had all major configurations of Macintosh computers in their testing laboratories.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Microsoft (December 18, 2002). Microsoft Appoints Seasoned Leader as Macintosh Business Unit General Manager. Microsoft press release. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
- ^ Microsoft (January 7, 1997). Microsoft Announces New Macintosh Product Unit. Microsoft press release. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
- ^ Who We Are. Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
- ^ Microsoft (October 2006). Internet Explorer for Mac no longer available for download. Microsoft.com. Retrieved on March 4, 2007.
- ^ Peter Cohen (August 07, 2006). WWDC: Microsoft kills Virtual PC for Mac. Macworld. Retrieved on March 4, 2007.
- ^ David Weiss (April 19, 2006). A Tour of Microsoft's Mac Lab. David Weiss' weblog. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Mactopia – source for Microsoft's Macintosh software (some not developed by the Mac BU)
- A Look at Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit – a profile of the MacBU by Jim Dalrymple for MacCentral September 24, 2001
- Virtual Tour of the Mac BU – photos from the Mac BU at Microsoft posted by Mac BU employee David Weiss on April 19, 2006
- Mac Mojo - The office for Mac team blog – MacBu team blog August 2006
