Microsoft continues to be offering the latest iteration of Windows at half price to customers still running Windows Vista’s predecessor. At the same time, the same special deal is available to Office customers still leveraging Office 2007’s precursors but that are now looking to upgrade to Office 2010.
At the start of 2010 Microsoft launched the
50% Off Up-To-Date (UTD) Discount for Office XP and Windows XP owners worldwide.
At that time, the Redmond company pointed out that the offering will expire on June 30, 2010. But this is not the case.
“With that announcement, Microsoft made the 50%* Up-to-date discount available on versions of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows that were two versions old (N-2) for the first time worldwide,” noted
Eric Ligman, Global Partner Experience Lead Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group.
“Now, in case you didn’t hear, this promotion has been extended through September 30, 2010,” Ligman added.
This means that Office 2003/Office 2007 and Windows XP/Windows Vista customers can upgrade to Office 2010 and Windows 7 at half the retail price for both products.
There is a catch however. The special deal is not available to end users, or via retail outlets. In fact, the only way that customers can take advantage of Up-To-Date (UTD) discounts is through the Open Value Subscription program.
“For those of you not familiar with the 50%* Off N-2 Up-to-date discount, it is a promotion that lets you move from your current version of Windows or Office (as long as it is within the prior two versions) to the current version of Windows or Office at a 50%* discount off of the up-front cost,” Ligman said.
“This promotion is offered through the Open Value Subscription program, which means that moving forward, you will continue to have access to the most current version of the software you are licensed for, including all upgrades that come out, plus all of the additional benefits of the Open Value Subscription Program,” he explained.
What the deal implies is that customers with Open Value Subscription license agreements will be able to pay only 50% for Windows 7 or Office 2010 in their 1st year of OVS. Essentially, a Windows 7 Professional upgrade will cost only $32, while and Office 2010 Professional will be just $82 for the first year.
Windows 7 RTM Enterprise 90-Day Evaluation is available for download here.
Office Home and Business 2010 RTM Build 14.0.4760.1000 is available for download here.
Office Home and Student 2010 RTM Build 14.0.4760.1000 is available for download here.
Office Professional 2010 RTM Build 14.0.4760.1000 is available for download here.
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