Office 2013 hits RTM ahead of full release next year

 

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By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 12 Oct 2012 at 09:33

Microsoft has announced that Office 2013 has been released to manufacturing, marking an end to the coding and testing phase for the productivity suite.

Microsoft will begin to roll out new capabilities within the suite to enterprise companies using its Office 365 cloud service with the next update in November, but general availability remains vague.

Microsoft said that the new Office would be available from the first quarter next year, but added that professionals would be able to get their hands on the software ahead of schedule.

"IT professionals and developers will be able to download the final version via their TechNet or MSDN subscriptions by mid-November," Kirk Koenigsbauer, vice president for Microsoft Office said in the announcement.

"Volume Licensing customers with Software Assurance will be able to download the Office 2013 applications as well as other Office products through the Volume Licensing Service Center by mid-November."

The latest products will be added to the Volume Licensing price list on 1 December, the company said. Consumers will get a chance at an early look too, and anyone buying Office 2010 will get a free upgrade.

"Starting 19 October, customers purchasing Office 2010 from local retailers or resellers will receive the new Office for free upon availability," Koenigsbauer said. "Customers will also see a preview version of the new Office on Windows RT devices, beginning with the Windows 8 launch."