Jan 29, 2013
Office 2013 went on sale today on Microsoft’s website. It’s branded as Office 365.
Here’s the link to the Microsoft announcement and store:
Outlook 2013 and MYN/1MTD
This of course means that Outlook 2013 is officially out. I already wrote up the differences in Outlook 2013 as they relate to the MYN & 1MTD systems. Here are the links to those writeups:
http://www.oneminutetodolist.com/blog/new-version-of-windows-outlook-coming-outlook-2013/
http://www.oneminutetodolist.com/blog/outlook-2013-fixing-the-harder-to-open-to-do-bar/
Subscription Pricing
If you go to the Microsoft store page, you’ll notice right away that Microsoft is emphasizing a subscription model, as I described in this post. As individuals, many of us react poorly to subscription plans for software, in the same way that most people would rather buy a car than lease it. But if you have quite a few PCs, Macs, or Microsoft tablets in your home (as I do), the Office 365 Home Premium subscription plan looks pretty good, I think. For businesses, there are a ton of pricing plans, so study them carefully.
I’ll Be Releasing New Books and Products
This new version of Outlook means we’ll be updating many of our products. Expect to see a new Outlook book from me by August (the changes are not large; the links above cover most of them). We’ll be incorporating Outlook 2013 into our webinars and video products in the months ahead. Anyone who purchased a Video product in the last year will get a free upgrade automatically (we’ll announce it).
Should You Upgrade to Office 2013?
I have been using trial copies for a while, and I generally like the new products. There is nothing earth shattering, but a lot of new features are there. I think I like the integration of SkyDrive the best. And if you use a Windows tablet, you’ll want the new version—Office 2013 is optimized for tablets.
Outlook 2013 changes are mostly organizational and tablet oriented. In some ways I like the To-Do Bar better in Outlook 2010, but the better design and features of 2013 make it a wash.
Watch the Newsletters and Blogs
Watch my newsletters and blog posts—I’ll be trickling out comments and tips as I discover them.
And let me know in the comments section how you like the new versions!
Michael Linenberger
