Microsoft's Office 2010 Pricing, Explained

Microsoft's new Office 2010 suite is coming soon. The company says 2 million people are already using the beta (and claims 9 out of 10 beta users consider it "an improvement over their current productivity suite.") So it's time to find out just how much it'll cost you to get it. The new SKUs include:

Office Professional, $499 boxed or $349 via Product Key Card. Includes 2010 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access, and Office Web apps. It also features premium tech support. It can be installed on two PCs concurrently.

Office Home and Business, $279 boxed or $199 via Product Key Card. Includes 2010 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, and Office Web apps. It can be installed on two PCs concurrently.

Office Home and Student is $149 boxed or $119 via Product Key Card. Includes 2010 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Office Web apps. A Family Pack version can be installed on up to three PCs in a single residence.

Office Professional Academic is for students and teachers, and should only be available through campus bookstores and academic retailers. Cost is $99 and includes 2010 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access, and Office Web apps. It can be installed on two PCs concurrently.

Prices can, of course, vary by retailer.
Wondering what a Product Key Card is? It's a single license card that will let people try Office 2010 when it comes pre-loaded on new PCs with Windows 7. They can try it first, then use the Product Key Card to make final (and cheaper than retail, and more ecofriendly) purchase. (Why Office remains stuck on DVDs in the day and age of netbooks and USB flash drives is a mystery.)

Originally posted to the PCMag.com Business Technology Solutions page.