Microsoft has been gradually releasing information regarding Windows 8, and all of the applications therein, since the start of 2012. One of the details we’ve been missing is the pricing for Office 365, the suite that houses popular applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (among others).
Today, the Redmond-based company officially unveiled the new pricing scheme for Office 365. Pricing is simple: $8.33 per month, $99.99 per year (billed annually).
It’s an example of the company’s shift toward subscription-based pricing. Instead of simply launching a product for one computer, and requiring multiple licenses for each device, Microsoft’s shift to the cloud is allowing for a more robust experience, plus upgrades to future Office versions as long as users continue to pay the subscription fee.
Subscribers get access to the full range of Office 365 products, all bundled together. That includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access, Publisher, and Outlook. You’ll also be able to use the new Office 365 on up to 5 PCs or Macs. Users will also get an additional 20GB of SkyDrive storage, up from the 7GB of free storage you get out of the gate. Subscribers will also get 60 minutes of Skype world calling every month.
If, however, you don’t want to go the subscription route, you can buy single box sets as we’ve all done in the past. Prices will start at $139.99 for the Office Home, as well as the Student 2013 Edition. Both of these version will include Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint. You may notice that Outlook is missing from those two versions. If you want that particular application, you’ll need to shell out $219.99 for the Office Home and Business 2013 version.
For those who want everything in a nice, single package, Microsoft will be offering up Office Professional 2013, which comes with everything mentioned above, as well as Access and Publisher. That will cost you $399.99. These other versions will only be able to be downloaded on one PC, and do not come with any of the bonus options that the subscription service offers.
Microsoft is also rolling out their Office 2013 update program beginning October 19th: “Starting October 19, people who purchase Office 2010 or Office for Mac 2011 will qualify to download, for free, one year of Office 365 Home Premium or the equivalent Office 2013 offering, when available. Small business customers in applicable markets will also be eligible for a three-month trial of Office 365 Small Business Premium.”
Previously: First Look: Microsoft remakes Office for tablets and the cloud
