Office 2010 Launched in Australia
It's official, Microsoft Office 2010 was released in Australia yesterday -- but don't get too excited, because it's only available through volume licensing for business customers right now.
According to Microsoft, the new Office 2010 suite is being rolled out over the next few months, starting with licensing options for business customers only. A trial beta version of Office 2010 is also available for anyone to download now from Microsoft.
Tracey Fellows, Managing Director of Microsoft Australia said the new Office 2010 suite, combined with SharePoint 2010 and new Office Web Applications, has made the cloud a reality for Australian businesses.
"People are working differently and expect their software to work the way they do. The 2010 products reflect this generational change by delivering the best productivity experience across the PC, phone and browser so you can be productive wherever you are -- at home, at a customer site, on an airplane or even without a PC, because you can now access your documents across a range of devices," said Fellows.
In direct competition with Google Docs, Microsoft has also launched their own online productivity suite, Office Web Applications -- the online companions to Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. According to Microsoft, these new web apps will help preserve content and format, regardless of device.
I've been using Google Docs (as part of Google Apps) for over a year now, and I'm very interested in a comparison between the 2 products. I used to use Microsoft Office on a daily basis -- in fact I used to teach other people how to use it -- but as my requirements changed I found that Google Docs was adequate for my needs, and I'd rather save my money.
To begin with, Office Web Apps will only be available to Office 2010 customers, but Microsoft is planning to offer the apps free, to anyone with a Windows Live ID.
If you need to buy Microsoft Office online right now, you can purchase Office 2007, and get a free upgrade (download) to Office 2010 when it's available (terms & conditions apply).
You can buy MS Office 2007 online, directly from the Microsoft Store. Office 2007 is also available to buy online from retailers like Dick Smith, WOW Sight & Sound, Harris Technology, Officeworks, and Clive Peeters.
Microsoft Office 2010 download versions are available for pre-order online now, from the Microsoft Store. There are only 3 products in the new office 2010 suite, Home and Student for $209 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint & OneNote), Home and Business for $379 (+ Outlook), and Professional for $849 (+ Publisher & Access).
Microsoft is a bit vague about the release date for download and retail versions of Office 2010, but as far as I can tell it'll be mid-end of June.
Verified Store Pages: Microsoft Store, Dick Smith, WOW Sight & Sound, Harris Technology, Officeworks, Clive Peeters
