Review: Microsoft Office pricey, but good value
NEW YORK (AP) - As much as I like Google Docs for word processing and spreadsheets, I find the online software clunky at times. So I was skeptical when I heard Microsoft is trying to sell its new version of Office as an online subscription.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the subscription gets you the same software you'd get buying it at a retail store. In fact, I'm using the new Office 2013 to write this review, and it feels as smooth as the customized version of Office 2010 I regularly use.
With an online subscription, you keep paying Microsoft to use the latest version of the software, rather than pay the company once for software that gets outdated over time. It's pricey, at $100 a year, compared with the traditional way of paying a one-time fee that starts at $140 and is good for years. Nonetheless, households with several computers will find subscriptions a good value, as one subscription is good for up to five Windows or Mac machines.
At first glance, Office 2013 resembles Office 2010, whether you buy it as a subscription or out of a box. There's a row of buttons - the ribbon - with quick access to the tools you need most. Files are compatible, so you can send Office 2013 documents to someone who has only Office 2010 (as I'm doing with this review).
What Office 2013 does, though, is embrace Microsoft's touch-screen philosophy. Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, which came out last fall, enables touch-screen controls so desktop and laptop computers work more like tablets. It's Microsoft's way of addressing a
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the subscription gets you the same software you'd get buying it at a retail store. In fact, I'm using the new Office 2013 to write this review, and it feels as smooth as the customized version of Office 2010 I regularly use.
With an online subscription, you keep paying Microsoft to use the latest version of the software, rather than pay the company once for software that gets outdated over time. It's pricey, at $100 a year, compared with the traditional way of paying a one-time fee that starts at $140 and is good for years. Nonetheless, households with several computers will find subscriptions a good value, as one subscription is good for up to five Windows or Mac machines.
At first glance, Office 2013 resembles Office 2010, whether you buy it as a subscription or out of a box. There's a row of buttons - the ribbon - with quick access to the tools you need most. Files are compatible, so you can send Office 2013 documents to someone who has only Office 2010 (as I'm doing with this review).
What Office 2013 does, though, is embrace Microsoft's touch-screen philosophy. Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, which came out last fall, enables touch-screen controls so desktop and laptop computers work more like tablets. It's Microsoft's way of addressing a
Microsoft's ribbon interface is terrible and Windows8 is worse. Funny how when Microsoft started doing UI testing, their UI got much much worse.
Waste of money, download or order OpenOffice for free. Â Same features as office and more.
 @RandyHÂ
Or LibreOffice.
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I donate to them so that they have an incentive to keep up the good work. I have converted all our staff over to the free software and they like it cause it is FREE.
 @RalphCramden  @RandyHÂ
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It really ain't free if you donate, but it certainly costs less than MS Office.
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Not only that, but you can be part of the community which decides the kinds of features and changes that are made. Not "ribbon" crap being thrust upon you without notice.
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The open source and community driven software system is a boon to everyone. I wish more people took advantage of it.
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 @Repoman  @RandyHÂ
But it's a donation versus paying big bucks for the same thing. I only pay about $25 per year which isn't a lot but if everyone did it they would have a lot of incentive to keep going.
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As a bonus, anything I can do to drive Microsoft into bankruptcy is a worthy endeavor. I know it won't happen but it is such a lousy product that something has to be done.
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@gunnutz the write is trying to be a movie director. It's a cliffhanger, not a paste fail!
 @gunnutzÂ
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Control + C, Control + V fail.
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I wonder if they copied this using MS 2013 online.
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