14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is currently testing the Technical Preview of the next iteration of the Office System and making its way toward the first Beta build. So far, the Redmond company has not made public the beta release date, nor the RTM or General Availability deadlines. Still, the software giant did indicate that Office 2010 would hit the shelves in the first half of 2010. At a Microsoft Open House, Park Avenue Armory New York City, on October 6, 2009, Robbie Bach, president, Entertainment and Devices Division, was a tad more precise, noting that: “New version of Office which is coming out in the spring, you'll see that.”
On October 9th, 2009, the company announced that, when it would drop, in spring 2010, Office 2010 would feature a new, free but ad-supported edition, namely the Starter SKU. According Takeshi Numoto, corporate vice president, Office, The Starter edition of Office 2010, containing only feature stripped-down versions of Word and Excel, is part of the company’s strategy to get more customers to try and ultimately buy a fully fledged edition of Office 2010. In addition to the Starter SKU, the company will have its retail partners offer a new Product Key Card that will streamline access and testing of Office 2010 pre-loaded on new PCs.
“The Product Key Card is a single license card (with no DVD media) that will be sold at major electronic retail outlets,” Numoto said. “An added bonus: The card’s packaging is smaller than the full package (DVD) product, and is eco/retail-friendly. The key number contained on the card will unlock Office 2010 software that has been pre-loaded by the PC manufacturers on their PCs, and enables a simpler and faster path for consumers to begin using any one of three full versions of Microsoft Office – Office Home & Student 2010, Office Home & Business 2010, or Office Professional 2010.”
Numoto promised that by the end of 2009 Microsoft would have available a broad, public Beta development milestone of Office 2010. The company pointed out that the Office 2010 Beta would be the best time for customers to get familiar with the next version of the Office System. In addition, it seems that Microsoft will support Office 2010 Beta to Office 2010 RTM upgrade scenarios. But of course, there will be additional opportunities and options for customers to try Office 2010, even after RTM.
“For people who want to try or buy Office 2010 on existing PCs, Microsoft is unveiling Click-to-Run, a new and enhanced download experience for consumers. Click-to-Run makes it easier than ever for customers to try or buy Office digitally by significantly reducing the time and effort required to download Office 2010 over the Internet. Click-to-Run automatically downloads and installs any software patches when connected to the Internet, helping people maintain and keep their Office software up-to-date. Click-to-Run uses virtualization technology so it allows customers to maintain multiple versions of Office. This enables them to try Office 2010 side-by-side with the existing version of Office,” Numoto added.