Everyday Tips from the ComputerMom: Office 2013 vs Office 365

Microsoft has not only updated its Office Suite of software, but they have completely changed their purchasing model, creating a bit of confusion especially for people who are currently shopping for new computers. I am not going to overview the actual software updates in this article - if you want to know what's different you can read reviews here and here.  The focus of this blog post are the changes in how you actually buy Office. 

Office 2013

As in the past, Office 2013 is available in multiple configurations, depending upon your needs.  The $140.00 Home and Student includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.  If you need Outlook you have to upgrade to the $220.00 Home and Business Edition, and the $400.00 Professional Package adds Publisher and Access. 

As in the past, once you buy these packages you own them, now and forever. Unfortunately, unlike the past, these licenses only allow installation on one computer, and the license sticks with the computer in perpetuity.  You cannot buy Office 2013 and then move it to a new computer at a future date!  

Those limitations are meant to make the outright purchase of Office 2013 less attractive, and move you towards choosing the subject of my next topic, Office 365.  

Microsoft Office 365

What Microsoft really wants you to buy is Office 365, which is basically rented access to all of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, and OneNote) purchased as an annual subscription.  There are several different subscription prices, but the one that should be most popular, and that I will focus on here, is the Office 365 Home Premium license.

Microsoft has priced Office 365 Home Premium at $100.00 per year, or $10.00 per month. For that price you can download and install the software on up to five computers, including PC's and Macs.  You can authorize and deauthorize computers at will, so your subscription remains relevant as you upgrade your family's computers.  

Additionally Microsoft has thrown in an extra 20 GB of Microsoft Skydrive cloud storage for the main user (standard users get 7 GB of free storage) and 60 minutes of Skype international calling. Office 365 also includes something called Office on Demand  which lets you log into your Microsoft account and install temporary copies of Office applications onto computers that don't have the software installed already.

Office 365 is very online focused, but you don't have to be online to use it. The software is actually downloaded onto each user's computer, and you can choose to store all your documents on your own computer or in the Cloud.  The important thing to understand is that if you choose to end your subscription your Office applications will cease working, and documents stored in the Cloud will no longer be accessible.   

So, what should I do?

Office 2013 will only work on Windows 7 and higher, so if you are still using Windows XP or Vista you don't have to make any decisions until you upgrade your computer.  

• For most people there is little reason to upgrade to Office 2013 or Office 365 until you purchase a new system. Even then, if you own a licensed copy of Office 2007 or Office 2010 it can most likely be transferred to your new computer - I will be happy to discuss that possibility with you and recommend what I think is best for your situation.
• If you are a one computer household without a transferable license for Office 2007 or 2010, and you don't need or use Microsoft Outlook or Publisher, you are most likely best off purchasing a single license of Office Home and Student.      
• If you are a multiple computer household and you don't have a transferable license for Office 2007 or 2010 you should purchase a license for Office 365 Home Premium the next time you buy a new computer.  You can then upgrade other household users to the newest version. 
• If you are a power user, use Outlook on more than 2 computers, or want to make use of the Cloud to keep your documents in sync and access them on the road, then Office 365 is for you and you should consider upgrading at your convenience. 

A few more odds and ends . . .  

• The 5 users authorized through Office 365 Home Premium can include Macs, but Microsoft has not yet upgraded the Mac Office version - Mac users will use Office 2011 until a newer version is released.
• There is a University version of Office 365 that can be purchased by anybody with a verifiable college email address. This version only costs $80.00 for a four year license that can be installed on 2 systems.  If you have any college students in your family this is a very good option for them.
• Microsoft allows you to try Office 365 free for a month, so you can check it out and see if it's worth it to you to purchase a subscription.  Additionally, there are some discounts and coupons floating around out there - do a search and see if you can get a deal!

Julie Marto, the ComputerMom, has been providing friendly and personal technical support and training in Medfield and neighboring communities for over 16 years. For more information visit http://www.thecomputermom.com/ or like her on Facebook 

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