Lotus Development Corp has launched the Macintosh version of Notes R5 at MacWorld NYC, promising for the first time 100% feature parity with the Windows version. This is an important upgrade for the Notes client as more than 90% of Lotus’ customers use Notes in a mixed Windows and PC environment. Jimmy Duvall, Notes marketing manager, explained that the new software enables Mac users to view documents from PC productivity software such as Word, without having the Mac version of the application installed.
Lotus is hoping that the Mac Notes client will help it win out in the enterprise market against Microsoft’s Outlook client. Outlook Express 4.5 comes bundled with some Macs, but Duvall claims that the feature rich Notes software will tempt some Mac users. Lotus claims that it now has over 37 million Notes/Domino users. However, one snag faces companies that want to use Notes in an Apple-only environment – Lotus doesn’t produce a Mac version of its Domino server and has no plans to do so.
However, with the iMac heralding a consumer renaissance for Apple, Lotus thinks that selling R5 as a standalone email client for small businesses and consumers is now a viable proposition. Duvall highlighted the value of the standalone software for Notes users working from home. The R5 client also features a contacts database and a calendar.
Duvall said that Lotus was also looking towards the educational sphere with its Learning Space collaborative software. There are not a lot of options for collaborative software on the platform, Duvall explained. Duvall said that the new book portable and Airport wireless networking hardware could also fit well Lotus’ push into the educational market. It’s opening another new segment we could play in, he said. The Lotus R5 client for the Macintosh will ship at the end of August, priced at $69 per user.
