14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is gearing up for the debut of a new school year, and the Redmond company is looking beyond the PC, at the Mac users running its Office suite tailored to Apple's computers. In this regard, discounts of up to 30% have been set in place for Office 2008 for Mac, the equivalent of the 2007 Office System for Windows. The Office 2008 copies with slashed prices are available from a variety of Apple resellers, but only with the purchase of a new Mac machine, and also to students who can benefit from the discounts via their schools' volume license agreements inked with Microsoft.
"From work to home to school, your life is full-and you need to be ready for all of it. Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac helps you easily create and manage great-looking papers, presentations, and reports so that you can work smart instead of working hard. Save up to 30% off Office 2008 when you buy any Mac with this limited time special. Offer valid from July 15, 2008 to September 8, 2008," reads a message published on the Promotions section of Microsoft's Mactopia website.
In fact, Microsoft is offering a $15 discount for the Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition, up to $80 for Office 2008 for Mac, and no less than $150 for Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition. The Redmond giant is also making available a list of the partners offering the discounts for the three SKUs of Office 2008. As the equivalent of Office 2007, Office 2008 for Mac is designed to bring the Open XLM ISO standard to the Mac, and to provide a bridge with the file formats available for Windows users since early 2007.
"The new suite addresses students' need to confidently share Office documents that are the same on either platform. Office 2008 and the 2007 Microsoft Office system share core technologies, including Office Open XML-based file formats and OfficeArt," Microsoft added.