Should You Upgrade?

Through some readers may not know it, Microsoft isn't the only company building suites these days (we review some alternatives here). But in reality, Microsoft Office 2003's biggest competitor is Office XP and earlier versions of the Office suite.

Data FlexibilityMost people already have a version of Office installed. So the big question is: Do you really need to buy this latest iteration? The short answer for the vast majority is no, you don't need to upgrade. Office has been a very competent suite for many years, and you'll get along just fine with whatever version you have. (Of course, the more recent the version the better.) With Office 2003, most of the major enhancements to the core applications, such as Word and Excel, involve improved collaboration capabilities in conjunction with the Office system. These changes have to do with Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server, as well as Office 2003's ability to read and write XML and integrate with Web services to help improve business processes.

Best online Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com - Free MCTS Training

These are great features and are generally well executed in Office 2003. Most businesses should at least consider the upgrade, as the enhancements will improve productivity in any organization that relies on Office applications. For individual users, however, and those without the necessary support to run SharePoint or take advantage of XML, the Office 2003 advantage boils down to some handy new features and interface tweaks.

Even individuals will find that Office 2003 offers some nice personal productivity enhancements. Nearly every change in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access is for the best. The new Reading View in Word, for example, makes it significantly easier to read documents. But few of these refinements will justify rushing out and purchasing the new Office.

What might make you rush out, however, is the new version of Outlook, which has had a major overhaul and now makes navigating and reading mail, combating spam, and working remotely much easier. It's a huge step up from an already good mail client.

Microsoft is offering several flavors of Office 2003, so pick the one that best suits your needs. And if you are a home user and do decide to purchase Office 2003, don't ignore the $149 Student and Teacher Edition. If you've ever stepped foot in a classroom, you can buy this version. And business users buying at retail should note that they're eligible for upgrade pricing if they use any version of the suite going back to Office 97 or if they use a fairly recent version of Microsoft Works.

Bear in mind that buying into the Office 2003 system makes you also buy into Microsoft's latest server technology. Many of the new tools in Office 2003, especially those that provide improved collaboration capabilities, will work only in a Microsoft environment.

Microsoft Office 2003 Editions
Pricing
(click on a price to
check the latest prices) List Price Upgrade price
Basic N/A(1) N/A(1)
Standard $399 $239
Student and Teacher $149 N/A(2)
Small Business $449 N/A(2)
Professional $499 $329
Professional Enterprise Volume Licensing Volume Licensing
N/A(1)--Not applicable: The product is preinstalled on some PCs and is not available as an upgrade.
N/A(2)--Not Applicable: Upgrades for this edition are not available.


What's Included Word 2003 Excel 2003 Outlook 2003 Outlook 2003** Power-
Point 2003 Access 2003 Publisher 2003 InfoPath 2003
Basic • • •
Standard • • • •
Student and Teacher • • • •
Small Business • • • • • •
Professional • • • • • • •
Professional Enterprise • • • • • • • •
** With Business Contact Manager

Should You Upgrade?

Through some readers may not know it, Microsoft isn't the only company building suites these days (we review some alternatives here). But in reality, Microsoft Office 2003's biggest competitor is Office XP and earlier versions of the Office suite.

Data FlexibilityMost people already have a version of Office installed. So the big question is: Do you really need to buy this latest iteration? The short answer for the vast majority is no, you don't need to upgrade. Office has been a very competent suite for many years, and you'll get along just fine with whatever version you have. (Of course, the more recent the version the better.) With Office 2003, most of the major enhancements to the core applications, such as Word and Excel, involve improved collaboration capabilities in conjunction with the Office system. These changes have to do with Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server, as well as Office 2003's ability to read and write XML and integrate with Web services to help improve business processes.

Best online Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com - Free MCTS Training

These are great features and are generally well executed in Office 2003. Most businesses should at least consider the upgrade, as the enhancements will improve productivity in any organization that relies on Office applications. For individual users, however, and those without the necessary support to run SharePoint or take advantage of XML, the Office 2003 advantage boils down to some handy new features and interface tweaks.

Even individuals will find that Office 2003 offers some nice personal productivity enhancements. Nearly every change in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access is for the best. The new Reading View in Word, for example, makes it significantly easier to read documents. But few of these refinements will justify rushing out and purchasing the new Office.

What might make you rush out, however, is the new version of Outlook, which has had a major overhaul and now makes navigating and reading mail, combating spam, and working remotely much easier. It's a huge step up from an already good mail client.

Microsoft is offering several flavors of Office 2003, so pick the one that best suits your needs. And if you are a home user and do decide to purchase Office 2003, don't ignore the $149 Student and Teacher Edition. If you've ever stepped foot in a classroom, you can buy this version. And business users buying at retail should note that they're eligible for upgrade pricing if they use any version of the suite going back to Office 97 or if they use a fairly recent version of Microsoft Works.

Bear in mind that buying into the Office 2003 system makes you also buy into Microsoft's latest server technology. Many of the new tools in Office 2003, especially those that provide improved collaboration capabilities, will work only in a Microsoft environment.

Microsoft Office 2003 Editions
Pricing
(click on a price to
check the latest prices) List Price Upgrade price
Basic N/A(1) N/A(1)
Standard $399 $239
Student and Teacher $149 N/A(2)
Small Business $449 N/A(2)
Professional $499 $329
Professional Enterprise Volume Licensing Volume Licensing
N/A(1)--Not applicable: The product is preinstalled on some PCs and is not available as an upgrade.
N/A(2)--Not Applicable: Upgrades for this edition are not available.


What's Included Word 2003 Excel 2003 Outlook 2003 Outlook 2003** Power-
Point 2003 Access 2003 Publisher 2003 InfoPath 2003
Basic • • •
Standard • • • •
Student and Teacher • • • •
Small Business • • • • • •
Professional • • • • • • •
Professional Enterprise • • • • • • • •
** With Business Contact Manager