When Microsoft releases Office 2003 it will give certain Office Standard Edition users the right to order Office Professional Edition applications at no extra cost and offer a Step-up License to upgrade to the full Office Professional suite.
Both offers apply only to volume license buyers who bought a right to upgrade to Office 2003 Standard Edition from earlier editions, either through Software Assurance or its predecessor, Upgrade Advantage, Microsoft says.
Microsoft hopes the offers will entice customers to switch to the more expensive Office Professional Edition, but also aims to satisfy customers who might have been unpleasantly surprised by the vendor’s move announced earlier this year.
The Step-up License will be sold from Sept. 1, 2003, until Sept. 1, 2004. Microsoft did not offer such a license upgrade option in the past, forcing customers who wanted to upgrade to buy a completely new license.
