Microsoft kicks off free Office 2013 upgrades

Microsoft on Friday launched an Office upgrade offer that gives customers who purchase the current Office 2010 a free copy of the upcoming Office 2013.

Although Microsoft has announced Office 2013, provided a preview of the new suite and named prices, it has not set a launch date. Most expect Office 2013, and the Office 365 plans that rely on it, to ship in late January or early February 2013.

The upgrade or Office 365 subscription will be available when Office 2013 debuts.

Microsoft regularly runs such deals for Office. In 2010, it kicked off a "technology guarantee" for buyers of Office 2007, giving them a free upgrade to Office 2010 for several months bracketing the latter's retail launch.

The difference this time is that Microsoft is giving customers options.

Buyers of Office Home & Student 2010, for example, can choose either a perpetual-licensed copy of Office Home & Student 2013 or a one-year subscription to Office 365 Home Premium, the plan that lets consumers install and run Office 2013 on up to five PCs or tablets in a household.

Since Microsoft will not be upgrading Office for Mac anytime soon, buyers of that suite will receive a one-year subscription to Office 365 Home Premium. All Office 365 plans let subscribers install and run five copies of Office on Windows PCs or Macs in any combination.

But the combination of the free deal and Microsoft's decision to raise prices for Office 2013 give customers a way to save money: Purchase a copy of Home & Student 2010, for instance, which Amazon currently discounts to $99.99, and later receive a free copy of Home & Student 2013 that will list for $139.99.

Customers must redeem the free offer no later than May 31, 2013.

Details about the upgrade offer, including a full list of eligible versions of Office 2010 and Office for Mac 2011, can be found on this Microsoft website, with even more information available on the offer's terms page.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed. His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

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