By Emeka Aginam:

The global software giant,
Microsoft has announced the
availability of Office 2013 in
Nigeria, the next iteration of
the company’s flagship Office
product line for consumers.
The new product allows new
consumer cloud service
works across devices to help
busy people simplify their
lives and get more done.
The new product, according
to Microsoft was designed
to work with both touch and
a mouse, and works
seamlessly in the cloud
giving the user an
unmatched on- and offline
experience.
“Office 2013 makes the end
user more productive in both
a work and home
environment,” Marc Israel,
Office Division Group Lead
for Microsoft West, East and
Central Africa and Indian
Ocean Islands, said, adding
that, “With Office you can
continue working offline,
while the integration with
cloud technologies allows
you to sync your documents
seamlessly allowing you to
be far more productive.”
Cloud technologies, he
explained are fast becoming
part of everyday life, which is
why Microsoft’s Office 365
Home Premium makes sense
for the African market.
Office 20113 is cloud service:
Office 365 Home Premium,
one of the offerings within
Office 2013, Microsoft said is
a cloud service designed for
busy households and people
juggling ever-increasing
work and family
responsibilities. The new
offering includes the latest
and most complete set of
Office applications; works
across up to five devices,
including Windows tablets,
PCs and Macs; and comes
with extra SkyDrive storage
and Skype calling all for
=N=12,800 for an annual
subscription, the equivalent
of less than =N=1,120 per
month.
“This is a major leap
forward. We know that
people’s needs are changing
rapidly, particularly on the
African continent. This new
iteration of Microsoft Office
allows them to adopt
technology that changes
with them, meeting their
everyday requirements.”
Israel said.
It would be recalled that the
CEO of Microsoft, Steve
Ballmer who spoke earlier
during the worldwide launch
of Office 365 Home Premium
on January 29 this year had
highlighted that this marks
the next big step in
Microsoft’s transformation to
a devices and services
business.
“This is so much more than
just another release of Office.
This is Office reinvented as a
consumer cloud service with
all the full-featured Office
applications people know
and love, together with
impressive new cloud and
social benefits,” he said.
Customers believe that the
new iteration of Microsoft
Office allows them to focus
on growing their businesses,
rather than IT functions. “If
there’s one thing I’ve learned
in all my years of doing this,
it’s that no small business
knows how to run a server,”
says David Kroenke, Author
and Small Business Owner.
“And furthermore, they don’t
want to run a server. They
want to run a business. With
Office 365, you can manage
your employees, not your
computers.” Hermi Valk,
Owner of BabyBloem says it
has streamlined
communications
tremendously. “It’s so easy to
communicate now. I can turn
my computer on and see
when China’s online. With
just one click, I can ask them
a question. Office 365 makes
the world more accessible.”
Microsoft also announced it
will now deliver many new
features and services to the
cloud first, transforming the
company’s traditional three-
year release cycle. Now, new
features and services stream
to subscribers as soon as
they are ready, keeping
subscribers always up to
date while eliminating the
hassles of upgrading.
Office Home & Student 2013,
Home & Business 2013,
Professional 2013 and Office
365 Home Premium are
available as of March 19th in
all Microsoft Resellers and
Retailers across Nigeria.
About Office 365 Home
Premium:
Office 365 Home Premium is
available in 162 markets in
21 languages and includes
the following:
•The latest and most
complete set of Office
applications: Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, OneNote,
Outlook, Publisher and
Access
•One license for the entire
household to use Office on
up to five devices, including
Windows tablets, PCs or
Macs, and Office on Demand
available from any Internet-
connected PC1
•An additional 20 GB of
SkyDrive cloud storage,
nearly three times the
amount available with a free
SkyDrive account
•60 free Skype world calling
minutes per month to call
mobile phones, landlines or
PCs around the world2
•Future upgrades, so you
always use the latest time-
saving technology.
==>SOURCE:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/microsoft-brings-office-2013-to-nigeria-market/