Office for Mac 2011 Hitting Store Shelves This October: Qualifying new purchases of Office 2008 will include a full upgrade to Office 2011.

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 2, 2010 — Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, the next version of the leading productivity suite for the Mac, will be available in more than 100 countries around the world at the end of October. The suite will come in two editions to purchase at retail — Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 and Office for Mac Home and Business 2011. For better alignment across platforms, the Office 2011 pricing and edition options map closer with Office for the Windows operating system. In addition, starting today, if customers purchase Office 2008 for Mac, they will be able to upgrade to Office 2011 when it is available at no additional cost through the Microsoft Office for Mac Technology Guarantee Program.

“We develop Office for Mac to give you the tools to create great-looking and compatible documents — with options to pick the right edition for your Mac needs,” said Eric Wilfrid, general manager, Macintosh Business Unit (MacBU) at Microsoft Corp. “More than ever before, Office 2011 brings the familiar productivity tools and features of Microsoft Office to a suite of applications that work great on the Mac.”

How Much Will Office for Mac 2011 Cost?

The new Office 2011 lineup makes purchasing decisions easier — with a lower price per installation for all editions. These changes ensure that customers get the right products and applications at the right price.

Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail starting at $119 (U.S. estimated retail price [ERP]).

• It will be available in two editions — a single install for $119 (U.S. ERP) and a Family Pack for $149 (U.S. ERP) with three installs for families with more than one Mac in their household. The Home and Student edition provides the core productivity applications that Mac users want and need.

Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac, Outlook for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail starting at $199 (U.S. ERP).

• It also will be available in two editions — a single install for $199 (U.S. ERP) and a Multi-Pack for $279 (U.S. ERP) with two installs for a user with two machines. If Home and Student customers determine that they need the additional functionality of a desktop e-mail client, they can easily step up to Office for Mac Home and Business 2011using online upgrade functionality.

Microsoft Office for Mac Academic 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac, Outlook for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail at authorized academic stores and Microsoft, http://www.officeformac.com, for $99 (U.S. ERP).

• This special edition was created for higher education students, staff and faculty, and includes one installation.

Microsoft is today announcing a program to allow qualifying customers to upgrade to Office 2011 at no additional cost when they purchase Office 2008.

• Qualifying purchase details. Office 2008 for Mac must be purchased between Aug. 1, 2010, and Nov. 30, 2010, at Microsoft or an authorized reseller.
• Program registration. Customers can register for the program online at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/techg. Qualifying registrants must fill out the form and submit their product key(s) and dated sales receipt for Office 2008 for Mac by Dec. 31, 2010.

Office for Mac 2011 Hitting Store Shelves This October: Qualifying new purchases of Office 2008 will include a full upgrade to Office 2011.