Microsoft OneNote Going Free with Mac Launch Later This Month

Microsoft is working on a version of OneNote for the Mac that will debut later this month, claims The Verge. This release will expand the note-taking software beyond its roots as a paid desktop app for Windows users and will complement the mobile apps that exist on iOS and Android.

According to The Verge's report, Microsoft will drop the price on the note-taking app and release it for free to both OS X and Windows owners. The latest version of OneNote also may include companion web-clipper extensions that plug into popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. These plug-ins will make it easy for people to grab snippets from web pages and immediately share them with the OneNote app.

Microsoft hopes the price drop along with new web-clipping feature will make OneNote attractive to customers who currently use competing note-taking apps such as Evernote.
We understand that Microsoft will release the OneNote for Mac app for free, and the company is also planning to make the Windows desktop version available at no extra cost. This marks a significant change in the way Microsoft manages OneNote, unbundling it fully from the cost of Office. We’re told part of this free approach is targeted at competitors like Evernote, but Microsoft is also adding additional features to entice people away from the competition.
The launch of OneNote is part of a larger push by Microsoft into the Apple ecosystem. The company is rumored to be working on a new version of Office for the Mac that may debut later this year as well as Office for the iPad that allegedly is coming soon.

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New Version of Microsoft Office for Mac Slated for 2014 Release

Microsoft is planning to introduce an updated version of its Office productivity suite for the Mac in 2014, according to Thorsten Hübschen, Business Group Lead at Microsoft Germany, who gave Computerwoche (via Macworld) the news at the Cebit trade fair in Hanover.

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While there's little information available on a possible release date, Hübschen said more news on the product should come during the second quarter of 2014. Microsoft's current Office software for the Mac was released more than three years ago in October of 2010.
At the Cebit trade fair in Hanover, Hübschen told Computerwoche that there are now development teams for each of the Office applications, which each produce versions of their product for different platforms. In addition to MacOS, other possible targets for the future may include tablets running iOS and Android.
Microsoft originally had plans to release Office for Mac in the spring of 2014, but it appears the company will miss that timeline, instead planning for a release later in the year. According to a representative from Microsoft, the company is indeed working on the next version of Office for Mac.
"The team is hard at work on the next version of Office for Mac," she said in an email. "While I don't have details to share on timing, when it’s available, Office 365 subscribers will automatically get the next Office for Mac at no additional cost."
The company is also said to be working on an iPad version of Office, but it remains unclear when that app might arrive.

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Apple’s 2014 in Rumors: Big Changes for Mac and a Sharper iPad Read more: Apple’s 2014 in Rumors: Big Changes for Mac and a Sharper iPad

Apple’s 2014 in Rumors: Big Changes for Mac and a Sharper iPad  Read more: Apple’s 2014 in Rumors: Big Changes for Mac and a Sharper iPad

A newly-designed 12-inch laptop could sport a Retina display, according to an analyst with a good track record.

We’ve written before about KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s track record with Apple rumors. He’s one of the rare analysts whose Apple predictions are accurate most of the time, so it’s worth paying attention when Kuo says what to expect from Apple in 2014.

As relayed by 9to5Mac, Kuo’s latest research note talks about a big shift for the Mac product line, plus a sharper display on the next iPad.

Here’s a rundown:

A new type of MacBook is reportedly on the way, with a 12-inch Retina display. Kuo says it’ll be thinner and lighter than a MacBook Air, with a new design and an Intel chip. There’s no word on what would become of the MacBook Air, but it’s hard to imagine the product line sticking around if Apple launches a more portable MacBook with a higher-resolution display. We may find out in the second or third quarter of next year.

New iMacs will be cheaper, Kuo says, to better compete with Windows desktop PCs. Apple redesigned its all-in-one desktop computer in 2012, and bumped up the specs last month, but sales have reportedly been lower than expected. Given that the current iMacs start at $1,300; could Apple be trying to hit the $1,000 mark?

The sixth-generation iPad will have the same 9.7-inch screen size as its predecessors, but with a 30- to 40-percent higher pixel density, according to Kuo. This rumor is the hardest to believe. Apple uses the term “Retina” for screen resolutions where you can’t see individual pixels at normal viewing distances, so an even sharper display would create more work for developers without much of a real-world benefit. The only way a higher-resolution screen makes sense is if Apple is plotting ahead for an eventual larger iPad, which Kuo says isn’t happening next year.

Kuo’s predictions are best considered as rough estimates for what we’ll see from Apple, which is a lot more than you can say for some other analysts. Just for kicks, let’s check on what Kuo predicted back in January:

iPhone 5s with same design, faster processor, improved camera, smart LED flash and fingerprint reader: Yup.

Cheaper iPhone similar to the iPhone 5, but with a plastic enclosure and six colors: Just one color too many.

No Retina display for MacBook Air, but new Intel chips with a focus on battery life: Spot-on.

Slimmer and lighter iPad, and iPad Mini with Retina display: To be determined, but both seem likely.

Death of the non-Retina MacBook Pro: Not yet, but we’ll see if Apple updates the product line this month.

No Apple television this year: Pretty much guaranteed at this point.

It’s worth noting that Kuo’s latest report doesn’t issue any predictions on the next iPhone, a larger iPhone, the oft-rumored Apple television or a wearable device. Perhaps the details are still in the air or otherwise too hard to forecast, but it’s better to have a small number of likely Apple rumors than a whole bunch of unreliable ones.

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