Microsoft support has announced a new Microsoft Office version. The skinny on this one is that it is offered in two different flavors: Office 365, a cloud version, and the Office 2013, a desktop software supported version that we have been accustomed to.
What’s the difference between Office 365 and Office 2013?
Price is all over the map for these versions:
- Office 365 – $80 Office 365 University version for a 4-year subscription for students and $100/year Office 365 Home Premium version for up to a 5-user family.
- Office 2013 – $140 Home & Student, $220 Office Home & Business, and $400 Professional versions.
Which version is right for you?
If you’re a student, definitely go with the Office 365 since it’s dirt cheap! If you’re beyond the school level, then go with the Office 365 version for $100/year especially if you can share the cost with 5 of your friends or family. But, if you just need a single license for yourself, then the Microsoft Office 2013 version is the one for you. You’ll just need to pick one of the three versions depending if you’re a student, home user, or business professional. Here’s a quick wrinkle to all of this. If you have 7GB or less files, you can sign up for a Skydrive account and use a scaled down version of Office there. Way to save!
Overall, the Office 365 cloud version needs to be connected to the Internet. If you go offline, you have to make sure to stream your content first and then you can work in some sort of “airplane mode.” You can also save your files to your local drive and then send them to the default cloud/skydrive folder online when you’re connected to the Internet. This sounds ripe for Microsoft Office issues. So, if you travel or are in spots where you are unable to connect to the Internet, then the desktop version is probably the better choice for you.
February 27, 2013 is the release date of Office 365 and 2013. I will review the Office interface and how easy it is to play with in a future blog. For now, dive in and don’t worry if you’re not a Microsoft Office specialist.
