Over the last few days, there has been the start of Bzzzzz around the sneak peeks people are getting into the new Office 12 for Windows.
I haven’t read them. I don’t care. Guess I am a dinosaur.
On my work laptop, I am very happy with Office 11 (2003). My wife is very happy with Office 10 (2000) on machine.
Who is Office 12 aimed at? Enterprises are going WTF? Another *%^&%%$&% upgrade that is going to cause things to break and new security holes to appear, due to the new complexities that have not been completely tested?
Consumers? Most home users are likely to say that Ofice 97/2000/XP/2003 work fine for them, so why should they shell out a couple of hundred bucks for an upgrade?
I have an idea that will revolutionize the entire Microsoft Office marketing campaign, and put the fear into the entire marketplace.
Give away a LESS complicated, stripped down version “stock” version of Office 12 to anyone who wants it. Should be able to fit it into something like the 60-80 MB that OpenOffice fits into.
That’s right. I have spoken the heresy. The basic Office 12 should be given away for free. If you need/want more advanced connectors/translators/add-ons, they can be purchased and downloaded online for modular prices ($9.95, $19.95, etc).
Why will Microsoft still make gobs of money of this method? Because the core development work for Office 12 is complete. Has been complete for maybe a decade, but at least 6-7 years.
If Microsoft doesn’t consider this free download model, Office 12 will be greeted with the response it deserves from the basic consumers and IT professionals alike: WHO CARES?
OFFICE 12 LINK-O-RAMA!
Office 12 to ease lines of communication | CNET News.com
Office 12 and the New World of Work
Office 12 release confirmed for next year
Office 12 release confirmed for next year
Update: Microsoft reveals more details on ‘Office 12’