[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Microsoft reveals Office 2013 and Office 365 pricing here

[AaronLandwehr]

The spokeperson's math makes little sense. The example only has 4 devices (yet they bought 5 copies of Office...) and ignores the fact that you can use Office on up to 3 PCs in the same household with one license.

They would only need to pay for 2 copies of office which is cheaper than the online subscription over 4 years...

[LiveBrianD]

Unfortunately for them, I do NOT want my data in the cloud, I do not want a subscription-based service, and I am not paying 3 times as much for a local copy compared to office 2010. At this rate, if I need another copy of Office once 2010 is no longer sold, I'll have to pirate it.

[LiveBrianD]

Quote

The spokeperson's math makes little sense. The example only has 4 devices (yet they bought 5 copies of Office...) and ignores the fact that you can use Office on up to 3 PCs in the same household with one license. They would only need to pay for 2 copies of office which is cheaper than the online subscription over 4 years...

Unfortunately, it's only for one PC: "Each of those packages is for the locally-installed version of Office, and the license is valid for just a single PC or Mac."

[HankRearden]

Quote

Unfortunately for them, I do NOT want my data in the cloud, I do not want a subscription-based service, and I am not paying 3 times as much for a local copy compared to office 2010. At this rate, if I need another copy of Office once 2010 is no longer sold, I'll have to pirate it.

You can always adopt LibreOffice instead of pirating software.

[AaronLandwehr]

Quote

The spokeperson's math makes little sense. The example only has 4 devices (yet they bought 5 copies of Office...) and ignores the fact that you can use Office on up to 3 PCs in the same household with one license. They would only need to pay for 2 copies of office which is cheaper than the online subscription over 4 years... Unfortunately, it's only for one PC: "Each of those packages is for the locally-installed version of Office, and the license is valid for just a single PC or Mac."

I didn't notice that in the pcworld article... But, I am wondering if that is the actual case. The actual MS blog post just indicates that the offerings aren't available for multiple devices. That seems much more vague than how pcworld states it. The question is what exactly is meant by that wording. The old offices offered discounts for purchasing multiple copies at once, but the license for 1 copy of home & student editions specifically allowed installs on up to 3 PCs.

So my question is whether that only implies only the former or the latter also... props for MS not stating in detail the licensing terms of the standalone editions...

[AaronLandwehr]

Quote

Unfortunately for them, I do NOT want my data in the cloud, I do not want a subscription-based service, and I am not paying 3 times as much for a local copy compared to office 2010. At this rate, if I need another copy of Office once 2010 is no longer sold, I'll have to pirate it. You can always adopt LibreOffice instead of pirating software.

That doesn't really work in an environment where docx is in use. Unless you don't care if the document may not appear correctly. Apparently, it's much better compatibility wise in the newest versions though.

[Colper]

Not worth the money for me. If I was a writer, then maybe. But Google Docs and/or Intel's newly acquired "Libre Office" in conjunction with Dropbox is free and has more than enough tools. Previously, I would purchase Office just for OneNote, but now that Evernote is up to par, I'm good to go.

[HankRearden]

I actually like the numbers. I'll be subscribing to this. I'm also a big fan of GoogleDocs. That what I use for myself, personally. For business I use Outlook / Word / Excel. And I'd like to use Access but I never get around to learning it. I'm using Bento on a Mac and I have pushed it to its limits. It is surprisingly useful for me but I see now that I would benefit from a relational database.

[evti]

The price is above "$0" therefore I will stick to LibreOffice. I am all for open source, and I cannot justify spending this much money on something that's very much not worth it.

[tonybradley]

Quote

The spokeperson's math makes little sense. The example only has 4 devices (yet they bought 5 copies of Office...) and ignores the fact that you can use Office on up to 3 PCs in the same household with one license. They would only need to pay for 2 copies of office which is cheaper than the online subscription over 4 years... Unfortunately, it's only for one PC: "Each of those packages is for the locally-installed version of Office, and the license is valid for just a single PC or Mac." I didn't notice that in the pcworld article... But, I am wondering if that is the actual case. The actual MS blog post just indicates that the offerings aren't available for multiple devices. That seems much more vague than how pcworld states it. The question is what exactly is meant by that wording. The old offices offered discounts for purchasing multiple copies at once, but the license for 1 copy of home & student editions specifically allowed installs on up to 3 PCs. So my question is whether that only implies only the former or the latter also... props for MS not stating in detail the licensing terms of the standalone editions...

The error in math is my fault, not Microsoft's. I accidentally left part of the equation out--the family PC in the kitchen. I updated the article to reflect that.

I specified in the article that the locally-installed versions of the Office 2013 suite are single-machine licenses, so each device will need its own copy. I also embedded a link in the article to the details from Microsoft. You can view them here: http://www.microsoft...PlacematFS.docx

It clearly states that Office 2013 is for a single PC or Mac only, except for Office 2013 Professional which is good for one PC only--no Mac.

[MadMattAu]

Quote

Unfortunately for them, I do NOT want my data in the cloud,...... I'll have to pirate it.

And why not use the very competent Libre Office? or Open Office.Org.

Seriously there are plenty of Free open source alternatives out there. The two I mention do all the word processing and spreadsheet work I need and would meet the needs of the vast majority of people.

If your not happy with Microsoft's direction, the correct response is to jump ship, not break the law. 10 years ago the only software on my computer came from Microsoft. Now the only thing on it from Microsoft is the operating system (I just can't wean myself just yet). If more people stopped paying their Microsoft tax then perhaps they would listen.

They missed the internet and had to spend billions catching up. They have no intention of missing the demise of the desktop computer.

[RonSmith]

OpenOffice is good too. Another option may be to install office on just one "server" machine in your household and remote desktop in to that machine to use Word or Excel when you need them instead of installing office on every PC in the home.

[delitech]

Quote

OpenOffice is good too. Another option may be to install office on just one "server" machine in your household and remote desktop in to that machine to use Word or Excel when you need them instead of installing office on every PC in the home.

Won't be allowed due to number of simultaneous devices/connections restrictions.

[Tuzine]

Quote

Unfortunately for them, I do NOT want my data in the cloud, I do not want a subscription-based service, and I am not paying 3 times as much for a local copy compared to office 2010. At this rate, if I need another copy of Office once 2010 is no longer sold, I'll have to pirate it.

I gotta go with you on this
as much as i like the MS products the idea of having my personal files on a cloud where I have no idea who controls it creeps me out

[Tuzine]

Quote

Unfortunately for them, I do NOT want my data in the cloud, I do not want a subscription-based service, and I am not paying 3 times as much for a local copy compared to office 2010. At this rate, if I need another copy of Office once 2010 is no longer sold, I'll have to pirate it. You can always adopt LibreOffice instead of pirating software.

Not the same thing you know, MS office is kinda unique
maybe am just being a troll saying that but i've tried Open office and Corel office and i think they still have a long way to be compared with the MS product

[LiveBrianD]

HankRearden, on 17 September 2012 - 03:31 PM, said:

Quote

Unfortunately for them, I do NOT want my data in the cloud, I do not want a subscription-based service, and I am not paying 3 times as much for a local copy compared to office 2010. At this rate, if I need another copy of Office once 2010 is no longer sold, I'll have to pirate it.

You can always adopt LibreOffice instead of pirating software.

I've thought about that, but the problem is that I really don't like the UI compared to the ribbon, and I actually use some of the features that office has and libre doesn't.

[MrHistamine]

LiveBrianD said:

Unfortunately for them, I do NOT want my data in the cloud, I do not want a subscription-based service, and I am not paying 3 times as much for a local copy compared to office 2010. At this rate, if I need another copy of Office once 2010 is no longer sold, I'll have to pirate it.

HankRearden said:

You can always adopt LibreOffice instead of pirating software.

LiveBrianD said:

I've thought about that, but the problem is that I really don't like the UI compared to the ribbon, and I actually use some of the features that office has and libre doesn't.

The closest I've seen to matching MS Office capability, is Kingsoft Office; the free version is comfortably close to Microsoft's (minus a couple of advanced features). And if you pay for it, you'll even get a "ribbon" interface. :-)

A more economical option would be to buy the Microsoft version for a single computer, and load any ancillary machines with your favorite flavor of $0 productivity software.

This post has been edited by MrHistamine: 18 September 2012 - 01:54 PM

[lcase]

Quote

Unfortunately for them, I do NOT want my data in the cloud, I do not want a subscription-based service, and I am not paying 3 times as much for a local copy compared to office 2010. At this rate, if I need another copy of Office once 2010 is no longer sold, I'll have to pirate it. I gotta go with you on this as much as i like the MS products the idea of having my personal files on a cloud where I have no idea who controls it creeps me out

I've been experimenting with the Office 2013 preview and using SkyDrive. There is undeniable utility IF you're constantly shuttling between locations, with data on two or three different systems. In that regard, it's no different than using GoogleDocs (now Google Drive) or other apps with Dropbox.

As with DropBox, Skydrive creates a local folder, so your stuff doesn't just live in the cloud. If the SkyDrive servers went down, you'd still have local access.

A bigger issue, I think, is the cost -- eventually, you'll exceed the limited space of the free version, and will need to pay for more cloud storage.

[waikiki]

i'm not clear on how this 365 system works. What will reside on your own pc?
If i am somewhere without internet access, does that mean i wont be able to use office at all?

$400 per copy of Pro for the box is a bunch for a home user. I have two pcs which would make it $800. Not going to happen.