Last days to save hundreds on Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

[AppleInsider]

Microsoft Corp. next week will begin shipping the first copies of its much-anticipated Office 2008 productivity suite for the Mac, meaning there are just over three days left to take advantage of the company's "Super Suite Deal" that offers savings of up to $370 on the software.

Come Macworld Expo on January 15th, Office 2008 for Mac will be available in three distinct editions ranging from an entry level $150 Home and Student Edition to a high-end $500 Special Media Edition.

However, Microsoft is still running its "Super Suite Deal" promotion, which allows customers to purchase the current $330 Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Standard edition or the current $130 Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher edition and then receive the $500 Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition for only the cost of shipping and handling.

To take advantage of this offer, simply purchase Office 2004 for Mac Standard Edition ($330) or Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition ($130) from an authorized reseller like Amazon.com by January 14th. (Your receipt must be dated between Nov. 1, 2007 and Jan. 14, 2008.) Then print and complete the Super Suite Deal Redemption Form [pdf].

Those customers who participate in the promotion and return the Super Suite Deal Redemption Form by February 14th, 2008 will receive a copy of Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition for the cost of shipping ($7.00 US, $10 CND) once it is released at Macworld.

Microsoft does not appear to be requiring proof that participants who purchase Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition are actually students or teachers. Therefore it appears likely that anyone can purchase the Student and Teach Edition for $130 from Amazon and then receive a copy of the $500 Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition for just the cost of shipping and handling.

Those readers interested in Office 2008 for Mac may want to check out AppleInsider's recent Road to Mac Office 2008 series, installments of which are listed below in the order they were published. AppleInsider will also have a formal review of the finalized Office 2008 code in the coming days.

Road to Mac Office 2008: an introduction
Road to Mac Office 2008: installation and interface
Road to Mac Office 2008: Word '08 vs Pages 3.0
Road to Mac Office 2008: Excel '08 vs Numbers 1.0
Road to Mac Office 2008: PowerPoint '08 vs Keynote 4.0
Road to Mac Office 2008: Entourage '08 vs Mail 3.0 and iCal 3.0

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

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[Flounder]

So what is different about the "special media eddition?" I've got no clue. It would be nice if the article gave the reader that information.

[segovius]

Is this a US only deal?

Edit: was too lazy to check. Found the answer - it seems is applicable in the UK too.

Amazon UK

BUT - the UK offer is open till March 31st.

[Kasper]

Originally Posted by Flounder

So what is different about the "special media eddition?" I've got no clue. It would be nice if the article gave the reader that information.

We linked to our article (THREE DISTINCT EDITIONS) that explained this previously. Check it out here:

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...rt_at_150.html

Best,

K

[PhotoMacUser]

Originally Posted by Kasper

We linked to our article (THREE DISTINCT EDITIONS) that explained this previously. Check it out here:

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...rt_at_150.html

Best,

K

This is an insane deal! Here in the US there was a special one day BFD (Big Fine Deal) where if you bought any copy of Office you would get a $100 rebate in addition to the Special Media Edition (or Student Teacher version with 3 licenses) for $6.95 shipping and handling. Let's see a full version of Office for what amounts to $36.95? The program itself is worth close to $500. Not to mention the 2004 version you purchased can be resold if you haven't installed it. Three of us in my family repurchased Office S/T to get this deal.

My guess is that Microsoft has a huge supply of the 2004 version and this was the best way for them to clear 'em out. I recently got my $100 rebate check for the BFD as well.

Cheers!
R

[jamezog]

Haven't been in the loop much about MS Office recently (I'm still quite happy with Office 2K), but I just spoke today with our IT manager today about MS Office 2008 for Windows, and besides the new online collaboration features, he wasn't impressed. They've apparently changed the whole UI - a lot less intuitive than it was. I wonder if the Mac version will show the same flaws...

[tmedia1]

I took advantage of this deal on Black Friday and I got my $100 refund check already! Net cost for a full version of office 2008 was $37. Not bad, and no they don't care if you buy the student-teacher addition, which are full version of the programs!

Great Deal!

[Flounder]

Originally Posted by Kasper

We linked to our article (THREE DISTINCT EDITIONS) that explained this previously. Check it out here:

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...rt_at_150.html

Best,

K

It is still poor writing to have an article that hinges on the difference between different editions and not give a basic, brief explanation of what those differences are. This could have easily been accomplished in one sentence, and represents key information that the reader should not have to hunt for. At the very least, the links should be integrated into the forum post (which they are not).

[Royboy]

Originally Posted by tmedia1

I took advantage of this deal on Black Friday and I got my $100 refund check already! Net cost for a full version of office 2008 was $37. Not bad, and no they don't care if you buy the student-teacher addition, which are full version of the programs!

Great Deal!

I got my $100 back a few days ago and I just now received this email from Microsoft giving now a specific shipping date. My total cost is about $2.50 USD.

Est. Ship Date: 02/04/08
Description: OFFICE MAC HOME STUDENT 2008 EN DVD (Part No: GZA-00006)
Qty: 1
Price: $0.00
Ext. Price: $0.00


SubTotal $0.00
Shipping/Handling $6.99
Tax $0.49
------------------------------------------
Total $7.48

[mdcat]

I bought a Word 2004 upgrade (from Word 98) on eBay for $10 a couple of years ago.

I have no need for the rest of the Office package. Does anyone know how and how much
it would cost to upgrade to Word 2008?

[elroth]

Originally Posted by Royboy

My total cost is about $2.50 USD.

I figure that's just about what it's worth.

Actually, I thought about the deal at the time (in my case an upgrade from Office 2004 would have been something like $90), but I passed it up because I needed to see how annoying the new interface is. While 2004 has a lot of annoyances, it basically works well for me. The new edition with its ribbons and bows might just be over the top.

[Nicnac]

yay! Bring slide-show computing back to the Macintosh platform! That, and we'd like 3GB of buggy software installed in so many places, we'll never be able to remove it all. Oh, and to top it all off, throw in 2000 features we don't want and will never use.

[jdenver]

The offer here in the UK is not as good as the US as I see it. Over here (UK) if you buy the teachers edition you can only upgrade to the Home and Student edition, were in the US you can upgrade to the Media edition. Good old rip-of-Britain.

[mrjoec123]

Originally Posted by Nicnac

yay! Bring slide-show computing back to the Macintosh platform! That, and we'd like 3GB of buggy software installed in so many places, we'll never be able to remove it all. Oh, and to top it all off, throw in 2000 features we don't want and will never use.

That would actually apply a lot better to Adobe than to Microsoft at this point. I'm happily running without Office here on my personal machine, but I use Office on my work Mac all the time, and it isn't nearly that bad. It actually installs and uninstalls fairly easily. From the looks of the new version, based on the great articles provided here a few weeks ago, the new version will be even better, with native Intel support and support for the new file formats.

Not saying I'll be buying Office for my personal use. And not saying that I don't hate Microsoft with every fiber of my being. I just thought your comment was a little over the top.

But, like I said, it's pretty appropriate for Adobe's CS3 disaster.

[johnmcboston]

It might be a good dollar deal - but at home I really have no need for anything other than the basic office to begin with. The standard and super-deluxe editions really don't add anything I need. I don't use exchange at home. I don't use automator enough to want to automate anything in Office. So that knocks out the 'standard' edition. I don't even have a clue as to what expression media is to pay hundreds to get it. (the MS web site won't even tell me about unless I install some other MS plug in just to see the web site - WTF??

The cheapo home edition will do me just fine... Interesting to see MS is encouraging everyone to 'illegally' buy the student edition, eh?

[BuffyzDead]

I wanted to take advantage of the MacOffice SuperSuite Deal, so I purchased an Office 2004 copy. Now, I have to decide which of these TWO offers I want to get for the $6.99:

OPTION ONE: Send me Office 2008 for Mac Special Media
Edition (includes 1 license for business or personal use, also includes Exchange Server support , additional Automator Actions plus Microsoft Expression Media for Mac)

OR

OPTION TWO: Send me Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition (includes 3 licenses for home or non-commercial use only; does NOT include Exchange
Server support or Automator Actions) + Microsoft Expression Media for Mac

Dollar-wise the first option is worth $499.0 and the second is $149.00
License-wise, I can install the latter on three Macs but can this version be upgraded down the road.

Additionally,
What are the pro's and con's for each choice, features-wise?
Thanks

[Royboy]

Originally Posted by johnmcboston

It might be a good dollar deal - but at home I really have no need for anything other than the basic office to begin with. The standard and super-deluxe editions really don't add anything I need. I don't use exchange at home. I don't use automator enough to want to automate anything in Office. So that knocks out the 'standard' edition. I don't even have a clue as to what expression media is to pay hundreds to get it. (the MS web site won't even tell me about unless I install some other MS plug in just to see the web site - WTF??

The cheapo home edition will do me just fine... Interesting to see MS is encouraging everyone to 'illegally' buy the student edition, eh?

Can you show me in print, by the actions of Microsoft, someone could be breaking the law and could possibly go to jail ?

[Royboy]

Originally Posted by BuffyzDead

I wanted to take advantage of the MacOffice SuperSuite Deal, so I purchased an Office 2004 copy. Now, I have to decide which of these TWO offers I want to get for the $6.99:

OPTION ONE: Send me Office 2008 for Mac Special Media
Edition (includes 1 license for business or personal use, also includes Exchange Server support , additional Automator Actions plus Microsoft Expression Media for Mac)

OR

OPTION TWO: Send me Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition (includes 3 licenses for home or non-commercial use only; does NOT include Exchange
Server support or Automator Actions) + Microsoft Expression Media for Mac

Dollar-wise the first option is worth $499.0 and the second is $149.00
License-wise, I can install the latter on three Macs but can this version be upgraded down the road.

Additionally,
What are the pro's and con's for each choice, features-wise?
Thanks

I went with the Home Edition because I don't see were I would be using the "extra stuff" and I don't think of "media rich stuff" when I think of Microsoft. And I can put the Home edition on 3 computers.

[chabig]

This is not as good a deal as some think. If you purchase the Student Teacher 2004 edition right now with 3 licenses, when you take advantage of the upgrade offer you will have 1 licensed 2008 edition.

[geekdreams]

Originally Posted by chabig

This is not as good a deal as some think. If you purchase the Student Teacher 2004 edition right now with 3 licenses, when you take advantage of the upgrade offer you will have 1 licensed 2008 edition.

If you buy S&T 2004 at $150 in order to get SME 2008 for $7, then you've saved $343. You could even repeat the process two more times and get three licenses for $471. That's $29 less than the retail price for ONE license of SME 2008.

[chabig]

Originally Posted by geekdreams

If you buy S&T 2004 at $150 in order to get SME 2008 for $7, then you've saved $343. You could even repeat the process two more times and get three licenses for $471. That's $29 less than the retail price for ONE license of SME 2008.

That's an interesting analysis. I have never considered Office to be worth $500. But for those who do, the current offer is a good deal after all.

[Alan King]

Originally Posted by chabig

That's an interesting analysis. I have never considered Office to be worth $500. But for those who do, the current offer is a good deal after all.

I wouln't think that MS thinks that it's worth $500 either, which is why they seemingly slash the price with this offer.
But it basically looks like MS wants to stuff as many computers as possible with Office. Would they by worrying for some reason ?

[skatman]

Hmm... the title of the thread I thought they were shutting piratebay.org down!

[VicG]

Hey fella's. Perhaps this may be goofy to ask , but if through this deal one purchases the Student and Teacher edition, which is not for commercial use, and then gets the Mac Special Media Edition for the super deal of shipping only, will the install of the Mac Special Media Edition acknowledge the student s/n and not be commercially viable, or will it be an entirely new/independent s/n allowing for "commercial" use? Currently I have Office for Mac 2000 (Home Office). I checked for upgrades on Amazon.ca and they only list as available full versions of Office 2004 Student and Teacher as well as 2004 Standard editions.
What I also find interesting is that Microsoft Office 2004 Professional Full and/or Upgrade (Mac) does not appear to qualify for this deal, or am I missing something? (The reason I mentioned this is that I am taking a course that requires Microsoft Office 2004 Professional (Mac) for some reason. I'll check if there is a workaround for this in the course.) Thanks for the feedback on this nutty question.

[Mr.B.]

Originally Posted by segovius

Is this a US only deal?

Edit: was too lazy to check. Found the answer - it seems is applicable in the UK too.

Amazon UK

BUT - the UK offer is open till March 31st.

Segovius,

I had a look at the Amazon offer and it seems like it's not worth it. You only get the same version of office as you originally bought, unlike the US deal where you can just buy the Student and Teacher deal and then get the full suite in return. Amazon are selling the pre order Student and home edition for £ 89.99 ( £10 less than Apple ) If you buy the 2004 now, Amazon are selling it for £ 83.48 plus then the £ 15.90 for the 2008 version, seems like a bum deal, or have i completely misunderstood it?

It seems that yet again in the UK we get the raw deal!

Would be great if you could comfirm this or tell me what the truth is!

Many Thanx

[Nightflyer]

Originally Posted by tmedia1

I took advantage of this deal on Black Friday and I got my $100 refund check already! Net cost for a full version of office 2008 was $37. Not bad, and no they don't care if you buy the student-teacher addition, which are full version of the programs!

Great Deal!

Same here. Just got my BF $100 check in the mail a couple days ago. Sweet deal.

[internetworld7]

I'm not going to insult the intelligence of someone who insist on having this, but free, effective and Microsoft compatible alternatives exist. One should do their research, test and evaluate these alternatives before forking over hundreds of dollars to Microsoft.

Some of you here like the gentlemen above me were able to take advantage of limited time offers but many will simply fork over $300.00 or more just to type up documents and create spread sheets. Some of us here are simply in much higher income brackets than others and a few hundred dollars is no big deal but for the rest, you shouldn't feel any obligation or pressure to get Microsoft's Office suite.

Personally I prefer NeoOffice which not too long ago experienced a significant overhaul and update to NeoOffice 2.2.2 Patch 6. Some of you here are already familiar with it but for those of you who are not, it is based on OpenOffice but much better and better integrated to the Mac environment and offers far more features than OpenOffice. There is a small learning curve but many features and it's functionality will be familiar to anyone who works frequently in an Office Suite program.

Anyway, it's worth a look if you are not already familiar with it.

http://neowiki.neooffice.org/index.p...ure_Comparison

[teedoff087]

NeoOffice is a viable alternative, but those who are willing to pay a small price for a nice office suite, there's Apple's iWork '08. Also, if you just need a good word processor, Nisus Writer Pro is a nice, simple, and affordable word processor.

[johnmcboston]

Originally Posted by Royboy

Can you show me in print, by the actions of Microsoft, someone could be breaking the law and could possibly go to jail ?

The following statement is attached to the product. No, I don't think MS will storm down your door or get you arrested. Depends on how honest you are I suppose...

To license Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition, you must be a Qualified Educational User or the parent or guardian of a Qualified Educational User who is a minor. Qualified Educational Users include full- or part-time students, home schooled students, and full- or part-time faculty or staff of an accredited educational institution.

[katskill356]

In case this happens to you:i bought Office 2004 and mailed in required proof of purchase that included the original cover of the user manual. i made this purchase in order to get Office 2008 for $7.00. Today i rec'd letter from Microsoft stating that i will not receive rebate since i failed to submit the cover of user manual. i see in the MacOXhints forum that this has happened to other people. i called the rebate center and they explained that some of the user manuals enclosed with the software do not have necessary printed info on them and were rejected. they accepted my product key over the phone and i will receive the $100 rebate.

[katskill356]

The new Home and Student version is only limited to non-commercial use in a household; it does not stipulate that you are a student, parent of a student, or teacher.

Originally Posted by johnmcboston

The following statement is attached to the product. No, I don't think MS will storm down your door or get you arrested. Depends on how honest you are I suppose...

To license Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition, you must be a Qualified Educational User or the parent or guardian of a Qualified Educational User who is a minor. Qualified Educational Users include full- or part-time students, home schooled students, and full- or part-time faculty or staff of an accredited educational institution.

[MicheleM]

I chose Option Two for the Super Suite Deal - Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition (includes 3 licenses for home or non-commercial use only; does NOT include Exchange Server support or Automator Actions) + Microsoft Expression Media for Mac.

I received my copy of Office 2008 yesterday, but it was the only item in the box. No copy of Expression Media for Mac. Not even a packing slip.

Has anyone else received 2008 yet and also didn't receive Expression Media?

[Royboy]

Originally Posted by MicheleM

I chose Option Two for the Super Suite Deal - Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition (includes 3 licenses for home or non-commercial use only; does NOT include Exchange Server support or Automator Actions) + Microsoft Expression Media for Mac.

I received my copy of Office 2008 yesterday, but it was the only item in the box. No copy of Expression Media for Mac. Not even a packing slip.

Has anyone else received 2008 yet and also didn't receive Expression Media?

Have you checked to see if it is on the Install DVD and not on a separate DVD?

My understanding was that the Home Edition didn't come with the special media, but when I looked back to check, you are definitely right and it should be included. I'm supposed to get my copy shortly, but I can't use it until I buy a new computer, so if you find out anything be sure and post back here.

OPTION TWO: Send me Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition
(includes 3 licenses for home or non-commercial use only; does NOT include Exchange
Server support or Automator Actions) + Microsoft Expression Media for Mac

[MicheleM]

Thank you for your e-mail.

We apologize for the error. We have placed a new order for you under number XXXX which will include Expression Media.

So that you can return the original, incomplete product, I have created a Return Material Authorization for you under RMA number XXXX. Please include this number, as well as your order number on a piece of paper inside your return package. Please also include the RMA number on the outside of your return box.

A pre-paid mailer will be sent to your home within 3-5 business days. Please place the enclosed label on the outside of the return box and follow the instructions included. Make note of any way bill numbers you may receive for tracking purposes. Once we receive the product at the warehouse, a credit request will be issued. It takes approximately 3-5 business days to process this credit request. This credit information will then be transferred to your credit card's financial institution. They have up to 30 days to apply this credit to your account.


Sounds like a lot of work, but at least I'll have the right software. I wonder if they'll be cranky that I already installed it?

[Royboy]

Originally Posted by MicheleM

Thank you for your e-mail.

We apologize for the error. We have placed a new order for you under number XXXX which will include Expression Media.

So that you can return the original, incomplete product, I have created a Return Material Authorization for you under RMA number XXXX. Please include this number, as well as your order number on a piece of paper inside your return package. Please also include the RMA number on the outside of your return box.

A pre-paid mailer will be sent to your home within 3-5 business days. Please place the enclosed label on the outside of the return box and follow the instructions included. Make note of any way bill numbers you may receive for tracking purposes. Once we receive the product at the warehouse, a credit request will be issued. It takes approximately 3-5 business days to process this credit request. This credit information will then be transferred to your credit card's financial institution. They have up to 30 days to apply this credit to your account.


Sounds like a lot of work, but at least I'll have the right software. I wonder if they'll be cranky that I already installed it?

I just received mine today and I have not opened it. From reading the label and box, there does not seem to be any Expression Media included.

What email address did you use to contact Microsoft about this issue?

[MicheleM]

I found this email on the redemption form and they replied the next business day:

officemacTG@one.microsoft.upgrade.com

I received an email from Microsoft today that my new order had now shipped. Unfortunately, the description is exactly the same as the confirmation for the first shipment. I hope they got it right this time.

[Royboy]

Originally Posted by MicheleM

I found this email on the redemption form and they replied the next business day:

officemacTG@one.microsoft.upgrade.com

I received an email from Microsoft today that my new order had now shipped. Unfortunately, the description is exactly the same as the confirmation for the first shipment. I hope they got it right this time.

Thanks for looking up the info. I'll get on it tomorrow and see what I can find out. I never did open mine, but the outside box descriptions give the indication there is nothing in the box other than Office Mac 2008.

[Royboy]

I think Microsoft must have made a lot of these errors because they seem to have a form letter ready to go. Mine looks identical to MichelleM's email:

Hello Royboy,

Thank you for your e-mail.

We apologize for the error. We have placed a new order for you under number 15xxxxxxx44 which will include Expression Media.

So that you can return the original, incomplete product, I have created a Return Material Authorization for you under RMA number MAxxxxxx3. Please include this number, as well as your order number on a piece of paper inside your return package. Please also include the RMA number on the outside of your return box.

A pre-paid mailer will be sent to your home within 3-5 business days. Please place the enclosed label on the outside of the return box and follow the instructions included. Make note of any way bill numbers you may receive for tracking purposes. Once we receive the product at the warehouse, a credit request will be issued. It takes approximately 3-5 business days to process this credit request. This credit information will then be transferred to your credit card's financial institution. They have up to 30 days to apply this credit to your account

.