Microsoft reinvents Office

Microsoft has launched a new version of Office 365 Home Premium, a subscription service that is designed to work across up to five devices at the same time.

Billed as a reinvention of the company’s flagship Office product line, Office 365 Home Premium is a subscription service which includes the latest and most complete set of Office applications and works across up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs and Macs. It also comes with extra SkyDrive storage and Skype calling for approximately R750 for an annual subscription, the equivalent of R62 per month.

‚”This isn’t just another version of Office. This is Office reinvented as a consumer cloud service,‚” said Uriel Rootshtain, head of the Office business at Microsoft South Africa. ‚”The reality of today is that people live life on-the-go and they need their ideas and information to go with them to keep up with the demands of everyday life. Office 365 Home Premium gives users the flexibility to do things how and when they want whether at home, school, work or anywhere in between.‚”

Microsoft will now deliver many new features and services to the cloud first, transforming the company’s traditional three-year release cycle. Now, new features and services stream to subscribers as soon as they are ready, keeping subscribers always up to date while eliminating the hassles of upgrading.

For users who still prefer the traditional method of installing software on their machines, the company also released updated versions of the traditional Office suite: Office Home and Student 2013, Office Home and Business 2013 and Office Professional 2013. There is also an Office 365 University version for students, faculty, and staff, at a price of approximately R750 for a four-year subscription. Office 365 for businesses will be released globally with new capabilities on February 27th.

To help people find more time to do the things they want, Microsoft is introducing Time to 365 (http://www.office.com/timeto365), a new crowd-sourced website where people can find and share tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration from around the world. Contributors include experts such as ‚”techorating‚” pro Janna Robinson and everyday working parents who have found ways to simplify their lives. Tips on the site include, for example, an idea for organizing your grocery list with OneNote on your phone, a pointer on how to pick the right-sized TV for your living room and ways to use Office applications to help plan a child’s birthday party.

People can learn more about Office 365 Home Premium or try it free for 30 days at http://www.office.com

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