News
'Ultimate' Edition Coming for Office 2007
Just as with Windows Vista Ultimate edition, Microsoft is planning an "Ultimate"
edition of Office System 2007.
The revelation came in a single slide accompanying Chairman and Chief Software
Architect Bill Gates' keynote at the company's annual Windows Hardware
Engineering Conference (WinHEC) last week.
Steven Bink, proprietor of Bink.nu and a Microsoft watcher in Amsterdam, noted
the addition on his Microsoft news site, and a brief media feeding frenzy
fleshed out the story. (That slide has apparently since been excised from the
slide presentation.)
India-based tech news and buyers' guide site TechTree reported
that the new retail and OEM SKU will contain almost all the applications available
in the various versions of Office 2007, including the Groove collaboration client.
It is set to cost $679.
Microsoft confirmed it is indeed planning an Ultimate edition of Office 2007
as well as the reported price.
"Based on customer feedback received, we understand that some people
working at home need to have access to the full line-up of 2007 Microsoft Office
applications so they can create, find, manage and share information across boundaries
using the toolset they're familiar with at the office," says a prepared
statement provided by the company.
Microsoft introduced the Ultimate Edition branding when it announced the packaging
for Windows Vista. However, when it originally announced its Office 2007
packaging, it did not mention an Ultimate version.
About the Author
Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.