Also featuring Office 2010 Home & Student

May 17, 2010 09:43 GMT  ·  By

Just days after introducing new, special offerings built around Windows 7, both through the Microsoft Store and in collaboration with partners Sony and Amazon.com, the Redmond company has debuted a new discount for Dell XPS 16 preloaded with Windows Vista’s successor. Customers will be able to take advantage of the limited offer only if they reside in the US, and only until June 25, 2010, in the context in which supplies will last that long. Specifically, the deal involves a Dell XPS 16 machine preloaded with Windows 7 and Office Home and Student 2007 at a $249.95 (19%) discount.

Starting today, May 17th, “you can grab a Dell XPS 16 loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium plus Microsoft Office 2007 Home & Student (with a free upgrade to Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Student) for $1,049,” Microsoft’s Ashley Brown revealed. “This Dell XPS16 is a great graduation gift for students heading back to school next fall because it’s powerful enough to handle work and entertainment, and comes with the Microsoft Office programs (like Word, PowerPoint and OneNote) that students use every day.”

A minor detail about this offering that Microsoft isn’t exactly trumpeting is the fact that users taking advantage of the special deal will also be able to upgrade to Office 2010 Home and Student starting with mid-2010. All customers that bought eligible Office 2007 copies between March 5, 2010, and September 30, 2010, installed and activated them will be able to access Office 2010 bits for free via the Microsoft Office 2010 Technology Guarantee program.

“Office 2010 downloads will be accessible on or after June 15, 2010. Discs can be ordered for a fee. Eligible Office 2007 software must be purchased from Microsoft or an authorized reseller and activated between March 5, 2010 and September 30, 2010. Request your Office 2010 product by October 31, 2010 using your activated Office 2007 Product Key and dated sales receipt. You will receive an e-mail message from us letting you know when your Office 2010 product is available. One Office 2010 product per qualifying Office 2007 suite or stand-alone product purchase, limit 25 per person,” Microsoft informed.