Recently we brought to light some news about the way the licensing agreement in Office 2013 works – you can only install it on one PC, and it isn’t transferable. This is different from the way the full box retail versions of Office have worked in the past.
Now Microsoft has given us a bit of clarification on to the terms of Office 2013. So was the previous belief of one install for the life PC correct? According to a new blog post on the Office blog, yes it is.
Senior Marketing manager Jevon Fark says that the only exception to that rule is if you get a PC under warranty and it fails. After receiving your replacement, you can call Microsoft and they will allow you to activate it again.
This is certainly a lot better than the idea that you can only activate once and if your PC dies, you are toast. This isn’t great news though for those that build their own PCs, as more than likely the warranty and replacement of a motherboard doesn’t qualify for an exemption. Though I suppose it never hurts to ask if this ever happens to you.
As mentioned in the original post about this matter, all of these efforts are about pushing users towards Office 365. Honestly, it just makes more sense in most cases, especially if you are the kind of person who buys a new PC every 2 years. By the time you pay twice for Office – it is pretty much the same kind of value as you get with Office 365.
For those that need the refresher, if you plan to use Office at home and not for business, there is Office 365 Home Premium for $99 a year. This service not only comes with the latest version of Office, it also has extra goodies like a bunch of SkyDrive storage space.
If you don’t use Office much? You are probably best served by a free Office suite like LibreOffice or even the Microsoft Office WebApps which are actually quite usable if your needs are basic.
What do you think, is it a better deal to flat-out purchase Office or pay for the subscription? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
All Comments
I think the subscription is a better deal. I have multiple computers to install Office on and the 5 computer install is appealing. As well I like the idea that I will allows have the latest edition.
You reinstall it, you call in, you enter the activation code the software gives you when it refuses to activate, and when the automated man asks, “how many PCs have you installed this on,” you answer, “1.”
Same as with every previous Microsoft product that’s had the same limitations in the past.
Yes, their TOS says one thing, but reality is they count on people just accepting that and never bothering to try. Their automated system’s tolerance level is pretty darn high.