Microsoft slashes Office prices in RP

Microsoft has slashed the price of its Office suite for home users and students by about 40 percent, its Philippine subsidiary said this week.

The price cuts were initiated early this month as part of a strategy to attract more users from "emerging markets" to buy off-the-shelf, legitimate software, said Mae Rivera-Moreno, public relations and community affairs manager of Microsoft Philippines.

"This is also part of our Unlimited Potential program," added Rivera-Moreno. Microsoft's Unlimited Potential is a global program aimed at helping the middle and bottom of the world's economic pyramid of about 5 billion people, the software company's website stated.

Rivera-Moreno said this retail package includes a perpetual license.

Microsoft said the reduction of prices of Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student targets local consumers.

"From July onwards, consumers can avail of the genuine Office Suite for students and non-commercial users for only P4,999 for a full packaged product and for as low as P3,800 for an Original Equipment Manufacturer from Microsoft resellers nationwide," the local subsidiary said in a statement.

"This permanent product offering for Microsoft Office Home and Student will enable more Filipinos to access tools that will help them realize greater educational and economic opportunities," added Microsoft Philippines Managing Director Rafael Rollan in a statement.

"We would like more students to learn how technology can be a very important resource for their education and to be able to maximize this resource. Technology can be seen as the great equalizer and we would like to give more Filipinos the opportunity to utilize it," said Rollan.

The software Office suite comes with Microsoft Office Word 2007, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft office PowerPoint 2007 and Microsoft Office One Note 2007.

Source: technology.inquirer.net