Office Reaches RTM!

Today we reached an important milestone in the development of the new Office. 

Moments ago, the Office engineering team signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build. This milestone means the coding and testing phase of the project is complete and we are now focused on releasing the new Office via multiple distribution channels to our consumer and business customers.

This is the most ambitious release of Office we've ever done. It spans the full family of Office applications, servers and cloud services. The new Office has a fresh, touch friendly design that works beautifully on Windows 8 and unlocks modern scenarios in social, reading, note-taking, meetings and communications. We are proud to achieve this milestone and are eager to deliver this exciting release to our customers.

General availability is planned for the first quarter of 2013. Starting October 19, customers purchasing Office 2010 from local retailers or resellers will receive the new Office for free upon availability. Customers will also see a preview version of the new Office on Windows RT devices, beginning with the Windows 8 launch on October 26. 

Additionally, we have a number of programs that provide business customers with early access so they can begin testing, piloting and adopting Office within their organizations:

  • We will begin rolling out new capabilities to Office 365 Enterprise customers in our next service update, starting in November through general availability.
  • Volume Licensing customers with Software Assurance will be able to download the Office 2013 applications as well as other Office products including SharePoint 2013, Lync 2013 and Exchange 2013 through the Volume Licensing Service Center by mid-November. These products will be available on the Volume Licensing price list on December 1.
  • IT professionals and developers will be able to download the final version via their TechNet or MSDN subscriptions by mid-November.

Please stay tuned for more specifics on general availability dates and other Office launch news. In the meantime, if you'd like to give the pre-release version a try, you can visit office.com/preview.

Thank you to the millions of people who have been testing early releases of the new Office. We are grateful for your support. Your invaluable feedback has helped us make the new Office the best Office ever.

Kirk Koenigsbauer
Corporate Vice President
Microsoft Office Division

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  • by Julie Golding, U.S. MPN Lead Each month in the U.S. partner newsletter , Julie Golding delivers a

  • by Julie Golding, U.S. MPN Lead Each month in the U.S. partner newsletter , Julie Golding delivers a

  • 好!  等着11月中旬了!

  • Looks like Microsoft itself can’t wait to release the RTM bits of Exchange 2013 and it’s family members,

  • Following the RTM announcement: The New Microsoft Project reaches RTM! the on-premise products are becoming

  • With lot of tears in my life it is you Microsoft who brings some happy moments in my life..... First time exploring Windows 8 Release Preview and Office 2013 Beta in depth.............. Another milestone achieved by Microsoft Office, Office 2013 will be a great products for cloud, ... Thanks to Microsoft Office,

  • @jakeondemand, Sorry this took so long to research!  Yes, standalone copies of Visio 2010 (Standard, Professional or Premium) are eligible for the offer - so you'll be able to get the commensurate 2013 edition when it's available.  You can get more info - and sign up for a reminder - at www.office.com/offer

  • @Daniel, yes!  More details available at www.office.com/offer

  • @Anzi, yes.  The 2013 licenses are licensed to the machine, so as long as it's only used on 1 machine, you can move it across those machines as you upgrade.  The subscription is licensed to you, not the machine, so you can use it on all your machines and even those that you are just using (e.g. library kiosk).

  • @Soukthachone, you've got it.  Get 2010 today, get 2013 when it's available for free.

  • @Jeff, yes, the dates and timelines we outlined apply to ALL of the new Office, which includes Project, Visio, et al.

  • @derdude2000, Office 365 University replaces what is today Office 2010 University, so the rumors are correct that there is no longer a "University" branded permanent license.  Students who want a permanent license could continue to use Office 2010 University or purchase Office Home & Student 2013 (or a Windows RT device).  Stated, Office 365 University is a pretty amazing deal - $79.99 USD for a four year subscription - there is no more cost effective way to get Office, and you get so many more benefits with the subscription (extra SkyDrive storage, Skype minutes, use of all the apps, all upgrades, use on your devices, on-demand access).

  • @derdude2000, any perpetual license (be it 2010, 2007 or 2013) is yours to use forever (in perpetuity).  As noted below, the new University subscription is an incredible deal - just $1.67 per month for all the Office apps, free upgrades, extra SkyDrive storage, Skype minutes, usage on 2 devices as well as on-demand access for up to eight years.

  • @noman, your post brought a tear to our eyes :)  Thanks!

  • @derdude2000, Office 2013 is licensed to 1 device.  To install it on two, you'd need to buy 2 copies - or you could subscribe and use it on those devices and three more (be they yours or your family's).  Unfortunately, licenses purchased through VL or Student Select programs are not eligible.  You can find details on the pre-launch offer here:  www.office.com/offer.

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