Review by Rose Blue

I have reviewed different versions of office before, and it’s no secret I’m a fan. MS office, in particular, excel, word, and powerpoint are the standard programs used across business. I have used other programs for spreadsheets and word processing, but still find the original MS to be the best. I also love outlook for my mail account manager. I have all my various email accounts (yahoo, gmail, live) feed into outlook. It is so easy to set up various profiles for however you like to organize your mail.

If you are upgrading from office 2010 (or even 2007) the learning curve should be minimal. However, if you are still back on office 2003, there are major changes. It would be a good idea to check out some of the tutorials on youtube or on MS’s own site.

What I like about this version (professional) is that it includes publisher. This program doesn’t get nearly the attention of excel, word, or powerpoint, but it’s a great program. I use it for newsletters, artwork, cd/dvd inserts, etc. Of course, the more programs you want included, the higher the cost of the suite will be. You also get access and onenote in this version. You also get the availability of storage your documents in the cloud and accessing them from any location.

While I’m a fan of the product, I’m not a fan of MS’s new pricing policies. Everyone is being encouraged to buy Office 365, which lets you install the product over 5 devices, but is only valid for one year. On the other hand, this version is valid for the life of your pc, but can only be installed on one pc. You have to look at your own situation to determine what works best for you. There are no more software disks. The package directs you to a website address to initiate the software installation, and you are given a product key to activate. My deduction of one star is based on these policies.