Word 2011 for Mac (top), Word 2013 for Windows (middle), Word 2016 for Mac (bottom) The UI is flatter and Retina-ready, and the layout much more logical than that of Office 2011 (Mac) and 2013 (Windows). Thankfully, Office 2016 for Mac continues this trend and not a great deal has changed, interface-wise, beyond a general streamlining and polish. Windows users, on the other hand, have been subject to countless cosmetic tweaks that last resulted in a ruthlessly flattened and desaturated interface. Microsoft's Ribbon UI made its first appearance on OS X with Office 2011, but its implementation was very diluted. Mac users have arguably had an easier time with Office than their Windows brethren over recent years, though that's largely due to the lack of updates. As it turns out, Microsoft is updating both Mac and Windows versions of Office at more or less the same time for the first time in, well, ever with Office 2016 for Mac and Office 2016 for Windows released within weeks of each other. It's been five years since Microsoft last launched a new version of Office for OS X, which makes it long overdue an update not least since a tablet version of the productivity suite has debuted in the meantime.
