Microsoft Office 2011, which is expected to hit retail shelves in 2010, will sell for 20 to 50 percent less than Office 2008 per an announcement released by Microsoft on Monday.
According to Macworld, Microsoft Office 2011 will ship in two editions (a Mac Home and Student version and a Mac Home and Business offering) upon its release at the end of October.
Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 includes the Word word-processing, PowerPoint presentation, Excel spreadsheet, and Messenger IM applications. It will retail for US$119 for a single license and US$149 for a family pack that allows for installs on three Macs.
Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Messenger, along with Outlook for the Mac. Outlook replaces Entourage as Office’s mail client and is one of the centerpiece changes of the 2011 edition of the productivity suite. The Home and Office edition will cost US$199 for a single license and US$279 for a multi-pack that allows two installs on two machines.
The prices for the 2011 editions of Office compare to the current US$149 for the Home and Student Edition of Office 2008 and US$399 for Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition. Microsoft says the new prices for the Mac version of Office create more consistent pricing across platforms.
In addition to the two versions of Office for the Mac, Microsoft will offer an academic edition for US$99. The academic edition will feature Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Messenger, Microsoft Office for Mac Academic 2011 will be available only to higher-education students, staff, and faculty.
Users who buy Office 2008 starting on Monday will be able to upgrade to the 2011 version for free. The offer runs through November 30th, 2010, and users can register for the free upgrade at Microsoft’s Website. Microsoft didn’t provide any other upgrade pricing details for existing Office users.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.