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Hello Windows users,
 Microsoft has announced the Office XP product lineup and pricing. It also announced a trial program where they will make available 1 million copies at $9.95 US/$14.95 CAN (for shipping/handling), for which you get to try the product for 30 days, before it is available in retail stores and from certain hardware manufacturers on May 31, 2001.
"We're thrilled to give customers the chance to try Office XP before they purchase the product," said Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of Office at Microsoft. "We think seeing is believing, and we're confident our customers will find this is the best version of Office yet. We're also pleased to announce our Office XP product lineup, which provides a wide range of choices for our customers to experience in this great new product."
Office XP Product Lineup and Pricing Details
Microsoft also announced the Office XP suite lineup and retail pricing. The Office XP retail and channel partner suite lineup includes the following:
- Microsoft Office XP Standard. Includes Microsoft Word 2002, Excel 2002, Outlook® 2002, and PowerPoint® 2002. Estimated retail price (ERP) for version upgrades is $239 (USD). ERP for new users is $479 (USD).*
- Microsoft Office XP Professional. Includes all of the Office XP Standard suite, plus Access 2002. ERP for version upgrades is $329 (USD). ERP for new users is $579 (USD).*
- Microsoft Office XP Professional Special Edition. This is an introductory offer available for a limited time to existing Office customers in select worldwide geographies. This edition includes all of the Professional suite, plus the FrontPage® 2002 Web site creation and management tool, SharePoint™ Team Services, Publisher 2002, and the new Microsoft IntelliMouse® Explorer. The ERP is $479 (USD).*
- Microsoft Office XP Developer. In addition to the entire Office XP Professional suite, Office XP Developer contains FrontPage 2002, SharePoint Team Services, and other professional tools and resources. ERP for version upgrades is $549 (USD). ERP for new users is $799 (USD).*
* Retail prices may vary.
Customers interested in purchasing a new PC with Office XP preinstalled will be able to choose from two Office XP suites:
- Office XP Small Business. Includes: Word 2002, Excel 2002, Outlook 2002 and Publisher 2002.
- Office XP Professional with Publisher. Includes: Word 2002, Excel 2002, Publisher 2002, PowerPoint 2002, Outlook 2002 and Access 2002.
Pricing for these two products is determined by the hardware manufacturer.
Technology Guarantee Offered Through June 30, 2001
Microsoft also announced the Office XP Technology Guarantee, which helps ensure a smooth transition from Office 2000 to Office XP for customers that purchase Office 2000 at retail or from channel partners or select hardware manufacturers. Customers who obtain the Office 2000 suite or individual applications between April 2 and June 30, 2001, are eligible to receive the corresponding Office XP suite or application free of charge (shipping and handling charges may apply, and the technology guarantee dates may vary for different geographical regions based on product availability.)
Office XP file formats are backward-compatible with Office 2000 and Office 97 (with the exception of Access 97). Users of Office XP, Office 2000, and Office 97 can seamlessly share documents with one another.
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7 April 2001, Vol 4 No. 14
