TECH SPECIAL...Microsoft Office 2013 – All you need to know

Microsoft Office 2013 – All you need to know

The past month has  been huge for Microsoft, what with the unveiling of the Windows 8 operating system, Windows Phone 8 OS, Surface tablets and more recently, updated Office. Microsoft has already released a consumer preview of their next Office so here are some answers to the common questions floating around.

What is the latest MS Office Suite called? As of now, there is no name yet given for this major software update, but Microsoft is merely calling it ‘The New Office.’ However, to keep it simple, this version is being dubbed Microsoft Office 2013. Apart from this version, Microsoft will also be releasing Office 365, which is basically a subscription-based service that offers Microsoft Office. This service gives you the opportunity to pay for the software on a monthly or yearly basis. When will Microsoft Office 2013 be available? As of now, there is only a consumer preview of Office 2013 available where users can test the latest Microsoft Suite. However, there is no official word on its availability, but reports floating around suggest that the official version will be released by February 2013. Will my PC be compatible with it? This version of Office will be compatible with only PCs running Windows 7 or the upcoming Windows 8 OS. This means that PCs running Windows XP or Vista will not be able to run this version of Office. Alternatively, if you have a Windows RT tablet, then this will work on that as well. How many devices can Office 2013 be supported on? This upcoming Office suite can be supported on up to five devices. However, if you want to install it on more devices, then you can deactivate it from devices it was previously installed on before proceeding to install it on other devices. Any offline mode for saving documents? Microsoft will automatically save documents in the cloud using SkyDrive. What are the major changes found here? The New Office has undergone a drastic change when it comes to the visual layout and it has been designed to work well with the touch and stylus input methods that are found on the Windows 8 OS. Will it be supported on Mac devices? As of now, there is no consumer preview for Mac devices and there is no official announcement when Mac computers will receive Office 2013. However, Office 365 will be available for Office for Mac as well. What will be the price of Office 2013? Microsoft has not divulged any details pertaining to the price of Office 2013, but the pricing should be revealed closer to the release date. Different types of subscriptions for Office 365 There are a variety of plans to choose from, including Home Premium where you get 20GB of SkyDrive storage, along with an hour of Skype calls per month, Small Business Premium where you can share calendars, send business class mail and conduct HD conferencing. Last, there is ProPlus that includes e-mails, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access, Publisher, InfoPath, Lync and the ability to create up to 25 user accounts spanning five installations.