Microsoft was under no obligation to build a ribbon component, similar to the one premiered in Office for Windows, for the Mac. That’s especially true given the fact that the menu bar is such a prominent element of the Mac user experience. Ever since System 7, the menu bar — which remains fixed to the top of the screen — indicates which application is active. In Windows, applications have their own menu bars, if they have them at all; and starting with Office 2007, the ribbon replaced the menu bar.
