There's a new version of Microsoft Office for the Macintosh on the way. Read our first impressions.

In 1984, Microsoft delivered its first Mac-flavoured office software with Microsoft Word 1.0 for Mac. Now, 20 years later, Bill Gates and company are still at it with a new office suite incarnation: Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac. Slated for a mid-2004 release, the productivity suite includes old favourites Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage, plus a handful of features completely new to the Mac, including Project Center for project management and Compatibility Reports for ensuring seamless information exchange with other platforms and older versions of Office.

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac is all about the view. The new Notebook Layout View in Word simulates the look of ruled notebook paper for easy note taking. And as a bonus, you can record audio notes directly into Word. The Page Layout View will come in handy for Excel users wanting to tweak margins, headers, footers and layout before printing.

Office 2004's new Project Center lets you view all email, files, contacts, meetings and tasks associated with a project. Also, the Scrapbook feature gives you quick access to frequently used text, pictures and more, all within a one-click reach.

It remains to be seen whether Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac will have the same stability problems as its predecessor. And Microsoft has already announced its plans for another version of the productivity suite. This news puts you in the awkward position of having to determine whether Office 2004's new features, which are still mostly under wraps, warrant dishing out cash when they may be obsolete sooner rather than later.

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac's new functionality will help you better manage and share information. Compatibility Reports, specifically, will make life easier for those who work across platforms. Anyone content with the current Mac Office version, however, might want to hold tight and see what Microsoft has in store for future generations. Check back soon for a full review.