Microsoft Office 2013 officially launched! PHP 3,499 for 10 installs on Mac and PC

UPDATE II: If you own a Mac and have problems authenticating your installation (your valid serial number isn’t working after trying to authenticate) or you are getting a Sorry, there was a problem while trying to connect to your account. (Error code:0x80000003) error, this has to do with the region settings. Go to System Preferences –> Language and Text –> then set your region to USA and not Philippines.

UPDATE: OK here’s the thing. If you install this on a Mac, you will get the Office 2011 version and not 2013. This is because the 2013 version is still in the works but as soon as it comes out, it will become free for Mac users to upgrade. FYI!

Exciting news today from Microsoft. Rather than launching separate versions of the Microsoft Office 2013 for both the Macintosh and the PC, the guys from Redmond are pricing a 10-computer install pack for PHP 3,499. This applies to Macs and PC’s in your home bundle. The new version of Office supports touch screen commands for Windows 8 devices and adds a lot of cloud as well as social components together with strong integration with Facebook and LinkedIn.

Microsoft Office 2013 also comes in three versions: Home & Student, Home & Business and Professional. I do not have individual local pricing but yes, Home Premium will cost PHP 3,499.00

Home & Student
– only comes with the core office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote)

Home & Business
– comes with the core office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote)
– also comes with Microsoft Outlook

Professional
– comes with the core office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote)
– also comes with Microsoft Outlook
– Microsoft Publisher and Access

Home Premium
– comes with the core office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote)
– also comes with Microsoft Outlook
– Microsoft Publisher and Access
– one year subscription to 365 which includes:
—- use Microsoft Office on more devices including mobile phones via browser
—- 60 minutes per month of world calling via Skype
—- additional 20GB Skydrive space

On to Office 365, a service that is bundled with Microsoft Office Home Premium.

Now don’t be confused. Alongside Microsoft Office 2013 is a new bundled online service called Office 365. This is really just a rebranded name for a collection of services that Microsoft is already offering the public. It directly competes with the enterprise versions of Google Apps / Google Docs / Google Drive.

Microsoft Office 2013 and Microsoft Office Home Premium both sell for PHP 3,499. You can grab a copy at your favorite IT retail store (i.e. Silicon Valley, Accent Micro, Villman) or online via microsoft.com.ph/office.

To help you understand 365 better, here’s an infographic:

Infographic by: Cloud Hypermarket