Microsoft announced on Wednesday that a $60 Web-based version of the company’s Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 software will be available only to college students. Microsoft have dubbed their latest promotion as the “Ultimate Theft” and it runs until April 30, 2008. The promotion has already started in Citizen United, Canada, Britain, and France, Italy, Spain at the beginning of the day They will be available on September 20, 2007.
The cheapest Microsoft-office suite is Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 which costs $149 and only contains standard MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote applications. Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 Edition has a retail price of about $679 and includes programs such as: Access 2007, Accounting Express 2007, Excel 2007 , InfoPath 2007, Groove 2007, OneNote 2007, Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager, PowerPoint 2007, Publisher 2007, and Word 2007. But students first got rid of the promo.
According to the Ultimate Steal website, in order to be eligible, a student must first have a valid email address at a U.S. institution. ending in .edu and be actively enrolled at that institution with at least five credits. In addition, students must also provide Microsoft with proof of enrollment status as a student card. If the student fails to provide Microsoft with a proof of address, they have the full retail price of Office Ultimate 2007. However, when the student joins, they will be able to download Office Ultimate 2007. Microsoft is only offering this. web-based device and if students want to return a physical DVD they have a small charge that is not detected in Last Place Theft. According to the Microsoft website, students outside the United States will have to pay 18 coins, GBP 12.95 or C$ 22 for a single license year of subscription.
According to a Microsoft release, the Ultimate Theft promotion was initially launched in Australia where feedback from students was very positive. According to a spokesperson for Monash University, their students were pleased to be able to get the latest version of Microsoft Office at a low cost.
Alan Vates, general manager of Education for Microsoft Worldwide, said he has heard from students who said they want flexible ways to get the latest version of Microsoft Office based on the application they need for their studies. Vates added, “We are dedicated to providing students with readily available and affordable technology so they can meet their academic goals. It is the latest in a long history of providing students with compelling academics.”
Source:
Microsoft Press Release, The Ultimate Steal Offers Students Easy Access to Microsoft Service 2007.
The Ultimate Theft Website
Chloe Albanesius, What a pirate? Microsoft Offers $60 Office for Students
