Microsoft on Tuesday said Office for Mac 2011, the latest version of its productivity suite would be available on October 26. I’ve been using Office for Mac 2011 for a little while and have been very impressed so far. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of the Office apps run as fast as they do in Office 2011.

The speed increases aren’t limited to a single app or certain functions, either. They are across the board. Places where you would normally expect Office to slow down, it is now very fast.

Based on my experience with Office for Windows, I haven’t been a fan of the new Ribbon bar that’s included in all Office apps. However, it’s not as bad as I thought. It’s still a bit confusing at times, but if you use the Ribbon as a discovery method for features, you start to understand it a bit more.

Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail starting at $119.

It will be available in two editions — a single install for $119 and a Family Pack for $149 with three installs for families with more than one Mac in their household.

Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac, Outlook for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will start at $199.

It also will be available in two editions — a single install for $199 and a Multi-Pack for $279 with two installs for a user with two machines.

Microsoft Office for Mac Academic 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac, Outlook for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail at authorized academic stores and Microsoft for $99.

You can pre-order Office for Mac 2011 at Amazon.com beginning today.