Coastal Computers & Design
This is a question that I find myself answering someone nearly every week, so here’s a brief rundown on the whys and why nots!
Since the beginning of time (well Windows time) the only programs that came with Windows that could be used for anything other than managing files, browsing the ‘net and emailing were, and still are – NotePad, WordPad, Paint, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express (now called Windows Mail). Sure, Vista has added a few bits and pieces but Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher are not among them.
Microsoft Word has become the ‘industry standard’ word processor and it would be great if Microsoft would include it in Windows, but that wouldn’t make them any money would it? So – it is available in the Microsoft Office suites which always cost you something – that something depends not only on what programs are in the version you buy but also when you buy it.
Sounds odd doesn’t it? Well, not really as Microsoft do offer ‘bundling’ deals so that if you buy a new computer they will discount the retail price of Office considerably. These are called the ‘OEM’ versions (ie: Original Equipment Manufacturer) and can be purchased at the same time as your new PC – but, only at the same time. In other words, you can’t buy an OEM version over the counter later on.
To try to sell as many copies as they can, Microsoft also make available ‘Academic’ versions of the product which used to be available for purchase only if you had a student or teacher ID card. The rules have been slackened somewhat recently – well, the rules haven’t, just the ability to buy! – as now most academic Office versions can be bought over the counter and all you have to do is ‘promise’ not to use them for non-academic use – ie: in a business. You actually still can’t legally use them in that way but we all know that restriction is ignored anyway.
I’ll give you some examples of the ridiculous price variations of EXACTLY the same product. This is the silly thing, these products work exactly the same as each other and have the same features. All that’s different is the license terms and the packaging.
(Prices are approximate and depend on dealer markup)
Office 2007 Professional Academic : $250
Office 2007 Professional OEM: $450
Office 2007 Professional Retail: $849!
Get the idea? Again, these products are IDENTICAL…
To confuse things even more, there are other Office products available that offer less features at only slightly more attractive pricing. For example, Office 2007 Home & Teacher Edition is available for around $220 but you don’t get Publisher, Access or the Business Contact Manager – so why would anyone not pay an extra $30 to get them? Insane isn’t it?
Anyway, the bottom line is this – always check to see what it is you are getting when you buy a new computer. If they tell you ‘you get Office 2007 Trial’ then ignore that as you get to try Office out for 30 days then you have to pay to get it anyway – and you have to download it!