Syber News

Microsoft has said (on Tax Day, no less) that the latest version of its suite of Office productivity software, Office 2010 has been released to manufacturing. This news comes the same week that Google announced more updates to Google Docs, bringing its online Office competitor still closer to the full functionality of Microsoft's version.

Not just Google Docs, but free, open-source Open Office has placed pressure on Microsoft Office. Many businesses, in fact, still use Office 2003, eschewing an update to Office 2007.

Microsoft detailed which customers will get Office 2010, and when:

Our Volume License customers with active Software Assurance (SA) on these products will be one of the first to receive the 2010 set of products. They will be able to download the products in English via the Volume Licensing Service Center starting April 27. Customers without SA will be able to purchase the new products through Volume Licensing from Microsoft partners starting May 1. [...]

Office 2010 will first become available in retail stores in June in the US, and customers can pre-order these retail versions of Office 2010 at http://store.microsoft.com/OfficePreorder today to receive Office when it becomes available.

Additionally, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will be able to download the RTM software beginning April 22, company officials said. For consumers, retailers such as Amazon.com are already taking pre-orders.

Just as with prior versions of office, there are differently priced versions based on functionality. Office Professional has an MSRP of $499.99; Office Home and Business, basically Office Professional minus Publisher and Access is priced at $279.99; and Office Home and Student, minus Publisher, Access and Outlook, is priced at $149.99.

As Google Docs becomes more popular, Microsoft has made changes to its own suite to enhance online access. Office 2010 includes Office Web Apps, lightweight versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote that can be accessed through a browser from desktop PCs and smartphones.