Skip to main content

Microsoft Office 2010 Goes on Sale

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Over the years Microsoft has made a lot of its fortune selling mainstream business productivity applications, and today Microsoft has officially launched its latest suite: Office 2010 for Windows. As one might expect, the new version includes updates to Microsoft standbys like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint…but Microsoft may have a tough job selling new versions of applications that, in many users’ eyes, matured many years ago. To sweeten the deal, Microsoft is including free browser-based versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, enabling users to view and edit the most common Office documents with just a Web browser, confident that what they’re seeing (and the changes they make) will be reflected with fidelity in the full desktop versions of those tools.

The Web-based apps don’t have one-for-one feature parity with the desktop applications—you’re not going to find video editing tools in the online version of PowerPoint—Microsoft hopes the online versions will be enough to stave off competition from other online productivity suites…like Google Apps and Lotus Symphony. However, the Web-based applications also have net-centric features users won’t find in the desktop applications, such as the ability to embed tags in documents and send them to blogs.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft is also changing up its Office sales strategy: customers will be able to buy an Product Key Card at retail locations to activate Office 2010 bundles preloaded onto new PCs from major manufacturers. Microsoft is also offering the entire suite as a downloadable product, with new Click-to-Run technology automatically downloading any application updates and virtualization technology enabling users to keep multiple versions of Office: that way, folks can try Office 2010 without disrupting their current Office installation.

A boxed, retail version of the Professional Edition of Office 2010 carries a $499 price tag; a downloadable version is $349. Online versions are also cheaper for other editions: the Home &amp Business Edition runs $279 in a box compared to $199 downloaded, and the Home &Student version runs $149 with a box, versions $119 downloaded.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Apple’s Vision Pro to get bespoke Microsoft 365 apps at launch
apples vision pro to get microsoft 365 apps at launch teams

Apple’s Vision Pro is just a couple of days from landing on people’s heads, with many speculating how much of a success -- or not -- the tech giant can make of its most important product launch in years.

A key factor is expected to be the level of interest developers show in creating custom-made apps for the mixed-reality headset, with some major platforms such as Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube deciding to hold back from offering bespoke apps.

Read more
A beloved Windows app is being axed after 28 years
microsoft surface laptop go review wordpad

Microsoft is finally retiring WordPad, the venerable text editor that has been a staple in Windows operating systems since Windows 95. This decision comes as part of Microsoft's ongoing efforts to refine its software lineup and focus on more advanced applications. It marks the end of a 28-year journey for WordPad.

As spotted by Tom’s Hardware, the recent Canary build of Windows 11 does not include WordPad as part of the default software package. Microsoft seems to be encouraging users to explore its more comprehensive Office suite, which includes applications like Microsoft Word for a more sophisticated word-processing experience. In Septemeber 2023, the company added the rich text application to its list of deprecated Windows features.

Read more
How to delete a page in Word (including a blank page)
A person using MS Word.

Blank pages in a document can make an unprofessional impression on editors or potential employers. Microsoft Word is known to create blank pages in a document, so you should make sure to delete them whenever possible. Lucky for you, we can show you how to delete a page in Word in just a few steps. Should you also need to delete a page that has text and graphics, our guide includes instructions for that as well.

Read more