If you're thinking about purchasing Microsoft Office as a retail consumer, this MAY be a good deal for you. Microsoft is beginning a new program where you can pay $70 per year and keep the latest version of their Microsoft Office Home product (currently includes Word 2007, Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, and OneNote 2007) installed on 3 home computers. You also get their "Windows Live OneCare" which is supposed to be their anti-mailware, web-hosting, mail, messenger, photo service. Personally, I don't think that part adds much because 1) you can get most of the apps separately from Microsoft by downloading for FREE 2) many of those Microsoft services are NOT best-in-class. You can find better, free alternatives for most / all of them...

The product name for this "software as a service" offering by Microsoft is "Equipt" and they plan on initially rolling it out only in Circuity City stores starting in Mid-July. I've included the link to Microsoft's announcement at the bottom of the post...

This might still be a good deal for you if you:
- like to stay upgraded to the latest version of Microsoft Office
- have tried out the free alternatives (Open Office, Google's apps, etc) and they aren't for you
- aren't a student at a college where you can purchase even more heavily discounted Office packages through the campus bookstore, etc.

ON THE OTHER HAND, as users "evilwon" and "titewad" pointed out, you can occasionally buy the full version of Microsoft Office Student & Teacher edition for $100 after coupons at Staples ($130 regular) and just wait for the new version to come out. This may be the cheapest way to go since you can also install that version on 3 PC's...

For those of you who don't consider this a good deal because:
- you pirate your software
- you bought Office 2007 Ultimate for $5 from your college
- you bought Office 2007 Ultimate through the "Ultimate Steal" program program (another thread I started)
- you think Microsoft is the root of all evil in the world and you just want them to die
- you hate Microsoft products because they're buggy and make your system slow
- You can't stand the new "ribbon interface" for Office 2007 (I'm actually in this group!)
- etc., etc. etc.

Please feel free to add your input, but realize that deals will always be right for some and horrible for others. Use your head and common sense to figure out which group you're in -- don't just flame because you happened to be eligible for a better deal...

Here's the Link to Microsoft's announcement. Once Circuit City posts any info, I'll update the post.

You forgot to mention "ribbon sucks a fat one" in the hater column. Otherwise this looks like a pretty sweet deal for Office if you have a need for that sort of thing.

The only point that I throw out there is that you can find Office H&S for between $100-$115 when it is on sale. Use it 2 years and you save yourself $$. The retail edition can also be put on 3 computers.

wow... somebody put on their Microsoft underwear this morning...

Office prices are dropping (maybe just temporarily) on the 13th!

You might also want to see if the company you work for offers any type of employee home purchase options for the MS products if you use them at work. We get can purchase the Office Professional Suite for $19.

g12800 said:I take offense at how the OP clearly stated the information in a manner that was both effective and pleasant to read. Who does he think he is and where does he think he is posting?

Using terms such as "might be" and politely giving reasons for and against the deal are obvious attempts to keep people from effectively knocking his post. To do this with a Microsoft product is doubly offensive.

You are probably polite and informative in person also. Have you no shame sir?Great post g12800. I was about to post the same thing but would not have said it as well as you!
Did you and the OP, by any chance, attend the same proper English and etiquette class?

Wish they'd include access. It's a great program and represents an area in which open office falls flat on its face.

And I got it for free at the launch -- which is a great way to get most new MS software if you can afford to kill half a day.

g12800 said:I take offense at how the OP clearly stated the information in a manner that was both effective and pleasant to read. Who does he think he is and where does he think he is posting?

Using terms such as "might be" and politely giving reasons for and against the deal are obvious attempts to keep people from effectively knocking his post. To do this with a Microsoft product is doubly offensive.

You are probably polite and informative in person also. Have you no shame sir?

LOL. I can't stop laughing... Oh it's FW'er like you and the OP which makes me come back here every day^H^H^H hour^H^H^H^H every minute^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H.... I just hit refresh under "Hot Deals" every few seconds with breath I take in front of a computer with Firefox.

Cheers,
Kermee

P.S. Green for OP!

I happen to love the new Office version, and although I could get buy with the OpenOffice version of Word, I couldn't live without Excel in a million years. Call me a power user.

As for the deal, it's a good find only if Microsoft doesn't plan on releasing an upgrade in the next 2 years, because as others have pointed out, it's cheaper to buy the S&T version. I think the S&T version retails for $150. For it to be cheaper to go with the subscription based version, MS would have to come out with a new version every 2 years to make it more attractive.