The newest version of Microsoft Office productivity suite, known as ‘Office 2013’, was officially launched on January 29, 2013. Even though it’s been designed for tablets and Windows 8, it’s equally powerful and effective for PCs as well. Microsoft is offering a broad spectrum of versions for home and business categories so you can get the one that best suits your budget and requirements. In this article, we are reviewing Office 365 Home Premium.
What makes Office 2013 Better?
So…What makes Office 2013 better than its predecessors? The answer is: Ease of Use. Since Microsoft wanted to make the latest version of Office perfect for tablets running Windows 8, they converted their tools to support touch screens and in the process they made most actions only one tap or just a click away. Even though they made changes in the new Office for tablets, Smartphones and Windows 8, these changes made Office much easier to operate than ever before. It’s important to note that you can use Office 2013 with Windows 7 as well, but not with earlier versions of Windows.
Subscription Version vs. Standalone
With Office 2013, Microsoft is moving to a new subscription-based model. You can buy it the old-fashioned way as a standalone version, but Microsoft prefers that you sign up for the subscription. The main benefit of a subscription plan is that you will continue to receive the latest upgrades and you will not have to worry about buying another new version of Office ever again. The standalone version will work as perfectly as the subscription version initially, but eventually it will become out-of-date as it will not receive any upgrades.
What does it come with?
The Office 365 Home Premium version can be installed on 5 different PCs with a single subscription which includes Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher and OneNote. Even though you can get 7GB of free space on SkyDrive now, with Office 365 Home Premium subscription, you will receive 20GB more. You will also get 60 minutes of free Skype calls every month. The subscription for this entire plan will cost you just $99.99 a year.
Should I buy the Student Version?
It’s important to note that Office 2013 Home & Student can be installed on one PC only and it costs $139.99 and it comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. So, if you have 3 PCs in your household, then you will have to buy 3 copies and they will cost you $419.97. So, it’s best to get Office 365 Home Premium with a subscription, because it will allow you to install it on 5 different PCs and each user will be able to sign in to their own account with their own online document store and other benefits. So, in less than $400 you will enjoy the latest tools for the next 4 years.
When you use Office 2013, you will certainly like it because the interface has been improved as well. The ‘Ribbon’, which first appeared in Office 2007 and annoyed many users, is now optional.
Have you used Office 2013 yet? If yes, then please share your experience with us!
Binary Quest 