Microsoft further detailed its plans for Office 2008 for Mac on Tuesday, saying that it plans to release three versions of the product including one with a Macintosh version of its Expression suite.

All versions will be available in English and 10 other languages, for the first time in Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian. It will support the Open XML format, and is quite similar to the Windows version in terms of design.

For the first time, the company has also pegged a date, January 15, 2008, for the release of the product here in the United States. Availability elsewhere in the world will occur during the first quarter of 2008.

Those who purchase a version of Office 2004 in some areas will also be eligible for a free upgrade to Office 2008, not including shipping charges.

"Office delivers tremendous compatibility across platforms for Mac and PC customers, and we look forward to another great user experience with Office 2008 for Mac," Apple's developer relations chief Ron Okamoto said.