Microsoft Office 2013 Launches: Any Takers?

Microsoft office 2013 was finally made available to the general public on Jan 29th 2013. What makes this launch unique is that, for the first time, Microsoft attempts to make the Office suite a subscription service. Although traditional users can still get the boxed version, DVD’s that usually accompany the boxed version has been scrapped. Let’s take a look at the pricing of the different editions and what you stand to gain or lose in each edition.

Microsoft Office 2013 Versions to Choose From

Edition: Office 365 Home Premium

• Price: $99.99 per year
• Number of Installations: 5 PCs or Macs plus Windows Phone devices running Windows Phone OS 7.5 and higher.
• Subscription: Annual subscription available along with free version upgrades, multiple device installs, and Office on Demand services. You can also subscribe to a monthly plan for $9.99.
• Applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access
• Storage: Free 20GB SkyDrive
• Office on Demand: If you have a Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC, you can stream  fully-featured Office applications.
• Free Skype Calls: 60 minutes of free Skype calls every month.

Edition: Office 365 University

• For: Students and faculty
• Price: $79.99 for 4 years
• Number of Installations: 2 PCs or Macs.
• Applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access
• Storage: Free 20GB SkyDrive
• Office on Demand: If you have a Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC, you can stream  fully-featured Office applications.
• Free Skype Calls: 60 minutes of free Skype calls every month.

Edition: Office Home & Student

• Price: $139.99 per year
• Number of Installations: 1 PC.
• Subscription: No subscription. (Traditional Suite)
• Applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote.
• Storage: No free storage plans.
• Office on Demand: Not available.
• Free Skype Calls: Not available.

Edition: Office Home & Business

• Price: $219.99 per year
• Number of Installations: 1 PC.
• Subscription: No subscription. (Traditional Suite)
• Applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook.
• Storage: No free storage plans.
• Office on Demand: Not available.
• Free Skype Calls: Not available.

Edition: Office Professional

• Price: $399.99 per year
• Number of Installations: 1 PC.
• Subscription: No subscription. (Traditional Suite)
• Applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access.
• Storage: No free storage plans.
• Office on Demand: Not available.
• Free Skype Calls: Not available.

Office 2013 has changed essentially in one main aspect; it has now become smartphone and tablet optmized. While there are no dramatic improvements over the previous version, Office 2013 has been built to accommodate tablets. Skype integration and other social and collaborative features along with support for stylus support is the primary change you’ll notice. That’s not to say that there are absolutely no new features in Office 2013. But users who are already using Office 2010 may not be inclined to upgrade to the newer version just to access the improved features.

Currently there is no Mac version of Office 2013 and upgrade, if any, is expected to happen only at the end of the year or next year. Mac users will have to look at the Office 365 subscriptions for using the latest version.

Which version to choose?

As with all Microsoft products, finding the version that best suits your needs requires a bit of contemplation. Here are a few guidelines which should help.

Why choose the standalone version?

• You don’t use all of the applications
• You’re not interested in future upgrades
• You only need Office 2013 on one PC

Why choose the Office 365 subscription service?

• You wish to access Office on more than 1 PC and also on mobile devices
• You want access to all future upgrades
• You want additional services such as SkyDrive support, Skype integration with free calls, Office on Demand, and more.

What happens if you cancel subscription?

As with any subscription service, users are always free to cancel subscription at any time. If you do decide to take that route, what happens to your documents and stuff you worked over the year?

Office apps will have reduced functionality. You will be able to view or print documents, but cannot create new documents or edit existing documents. Documents stored on SkyDrive will be available for download though, even after subscription expires.

Hopefully, all this information will help you make an informed choice and select a plan that suits your needs.

Choose your Office 2013 plan here.