Microsoft lowers Office for Mac prices will ship 2011 version in October

Microsoft lowers Office for Mac prices will ship 2011 version in October

Microsoft has lowered the price of Office for Mac with its 2011 release, which will hit stores in October with prices ranging from $99 to $279, Microsoft MCTS Training announced Monday.

The least expensive version of Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 will be a special edition for college students, staff and faculty, retailing at $99, while a regular home and student edition will start at $119 for a single installation, and $149 for a license allowing three installations.
Vyatta VC6.0 - Software Routing, Firewall, VPN, IPS and more: Download now

Microsoft strikes blow against Google with Office 2010

Outlook for Mac will be included in the home and business edition, which will cost $199 for a single install and $279 for a single user who intends to use the software on two machines.

Outlook is also included in the Academic edition, but not the home and student version. All editions include Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Messenger.

Microsoft says the new pricing levels "map closer with Office for the Windows operating system," which ranges in price from $149.99 to $499.99.

Customers who purchase Office 2008 for Mac anytime between today and Nov. 30 will receive a free upgrade to the 2011 version when it becomes available two months from now.

But clicking on the upgrade offer shows that Office 2008 for Mac prices are still higher than the list prices announced by Microsoft MCITP Certification for the 2011 software. The 2008 home and student edition costs $149.95, while the business edition is $239.95 for an upgrade version or $399.95 for the full version.

Office for Mac 2011 is a big step forward in that it finally gives Mac users a real Outlook e-mail client, instead of the "Entourage" software that did not offer the full capability of Outlook. Office for Mac 2011 will also feature the Ribbon interface included in Windows versions of Office starting in 2007.