We have known that Microsoft plans to launch its Office 2013 productivity suite in early 2013 for months now, but thanks to an error on Microsoft's online Singapore store it appears that we have a more concrete date of March 31 to work with.
The freshly rumored release date comes by the way of a Neowin report, which explains that a consumer purchased the prematurely listed Office, but was barred from downloading it to his device. When the user contacted Microsoft's support branch, they were reportedly told "that the software would be available at the end of March." While far from an official announcement of general availability, the estimate doesn't stray far from the previously suggested February launch date.
In other Office 2013 news, the United States Government will employ the software for use in the Air Force, Army and Defense Systems Agency, according to Forbes. Microsoft notes that the agreement "provides all three organizations with a single vehicle for accessing the latest Microsoft technologies in support of top IT priorities around datacenter consolidation, collaboration, cyber security, mobility, cloud computing and big data."
For Microsoft Office 2013, Microsoft looks to transition most users to a subscription model. Office 365 Home Premium will cost $99.99/year, and Office 365 Small Business Premium will cost $149.99/year. If Office users opt for the traditional licensed offering, Office Home & Student 2013 will be priced at $139.99, Office Home & Business 2013 at $219.99, and Office Professional 2013 at $399.99. Office Small Business Premium offers its suite for $12.50/month and can be used by up to 25 employees. Office 365 University costs either $79.99 for a four-year subscription, or $1.67/month.
Microsoft has further incentivized the new Office with a promotion that encourages any consumer who purchases Microsoft Office 2010 between now and April 30, 2013 to apply for a free upgrade to Microsoft Office 2013 or a one-year subscription to Office 365, the Redmond-based company's cloud service.
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