This week good ol' Microsoft issued an update for Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac (12.1.1). Confused, one of our readers thought he was eligible for a free upgrade to Office 2008, as a rightful owner of a 2004 copy.

"When I ordered Office 2004 for Macintosh, I was told that I would receive Office for Mac 2008 at no charge," Henry McComb writes. "So far, no Office 2008 has arrived. I ordered the 2004 version on December 2007. Would appreciate knowing who to contact to remedy this error."

No need to contact anyone Henry. Here's the deal:


Microsoft is offering a full version of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac for $399.95. Not very cheap, but everyone's got to make a living. Now, what Microsoft doesn't make very clear (apparently) is that it is also offering "Upgrade Versions" of its "for Mac" software, in this case an Office 2008 for Mac Upgrade Version going for $239.95. Go ahead, check Apple's page for a better look at the "Upgrade" prices of all Microsoft Office for Mac editions.

Now, here's how Mactopia lists who is eligible to acquire the Version Upgrade of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac:

Office 2008 for Mac

Home and Student Version
￭ Version Upgrade
￭ Full Version

You're eligible to upgrade if you're a licensed user of: Office 2004, Office v. X, Office 2001, Office 98 or any of the individual applications in these product suites, including promotional bundles.

Holding the rights for a copy of Office 2004 for Mac, you are clearly eligible to upgrade to Office 2008 for Mac. However, no price mentioning is made. But since Apple's online Store clearly mentions the availability of "Full" and "Upgrade" versions for the software, the latter going for $239.95, I think this answers your question.

Sorry if you were hoping to get a free upgrade from 2004 to 2008, but currently, neither Apple, nor Microsoft are that generous. The best you can hope for is maintenance updates (enhancements) for your current version. Otherwise, if your work depends on upgrading to Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, you'll need to pay the $239.95 for the upgrade.


Look on the bright side though; at least you're eligible for an Upgrade Version of the software, which saves you some 160 bucks.