Microsoft reveals Office 2013 pricing

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Microsoft today has revealed the final pricing structure for all versions of Office 2013. The company decided to make available subscription-based and standalone packages of the latest version of Office. The subscription packages start at $99.99 for a year and allow installations on up to five Windows PCs or Macs. Standalone versions of Office 2013 start at $139.99 and are limited to one PC or Mac installation only.

This highlights Microsoft intention to drive users towards a subscription-based model as it is not only costing less but also offering more features than the standalone versions of Office. The biggest feature without doubt is the 5 PC or Mac license that Office 365 users get, but that is not the only benefit of the subscription model. Office 365 Home Premium, the smallest subscription-based model offers Outlook, Publisher and Access which only Office 2013 Professional is offering, and that version retails for $399.99.

Subscription-based users on top of that get 20 Gigabyte of SkyDrive storage (it is not clear if that is added on top of existing storage or a minimum that is made available to Office 365 users) and 60 Skype world minutes per month.

Office 365 Small Business Premium users get a shared calendar and a 25 Gigabyte mailbox, 10 Gigabyte plus 500 Megabyte per user access to business document storage, HD video conferencing and the option to create company websites, share documents and stay connected to a team. What they do not get is the SkyDrive storage and the Skype world minutes per month.

Take a look at the following table that highlights the new Office line-up for consumers and small businesses (click on the image to display it in full size).

Especially the limitation to installations on 1 PC or Mac is a serious blow to home Office users, who previously got access to a version of Office that they could install on 3 PCs or Macs.

The subscription model looks cheaper on first glance, but will end up costing more in the long run, especially if there is only one user and one device the program is used on. (via The Verge)

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