Microsoft launches the new Office – revolutionizing Malaysians’ ability to work anywhere, anytime, on any device

New subscription-based consumer cloud service works across devices to help busy people simplify their lives and get more done

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 January 2013 – Microsoft Malaysia today launched its most popular and extensively refreshed versions of its Office product suite to date, featuring its new subscription-based Office 365 Home Premium that comes with additional features for communication and collaboration.

To demonstrate the new Office’s flexibility, productivity and seamless usability, Microsoft executives descended to the streets of Kuala Lumpur City Centre during one of the busiest hours of the day to highlight to both media and consumers alike that doing work no longer needs to be confined to the physical office - the new Office gives people the freedom to do things where and when they want, across a wide range of devices. Dressed in noticeable bright orange t-shirts emblazoned with the Office logo, Microsoft executives created a buzz as they did their work across a variety of devices, including laptops, tablets and smartphones with unfettered freedom around town.

“This is exactly the type of scenario we envisioned. We wanted to demonstrate to consumers and business executives that this isn’t just another version of Office. This is Office reinvented as a cloud service,” said Danny Ong, Microsoft Malaysia’s Chief Marketing & Operating Officer. “Together with Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, the new Office provides the most complete offering that complements the dynamic nature of most working Malaysians, thereby allowing them to manage their work-life balance more effectively.”

According to Forrester, more than 50% of information workers are using three or more devices at work. Additionally, 60% of these devices are used for both work and personal purposes.

Members of the media and the public checking out the new Office in action.

“The demand for technology to help people manage life is colliding with the need for employers to help them to do so securely and privately. Technology should eliminate hassles and make sharing of ideas and information easier.  At Microsoft, we believe your information should be available to you instantly from anywhere and on any device, and we’ve successfully done this with Office 365,” added Ong.

Microsoft also announced today the launch of Office 365 University for college students, faculty and staff and updated versions of the traditional Office suites – Office Home & Student 2013, Office Home & Business 2013, and Office Professional 2013.

Work anywhere, anytime and on any device!

Office 365 Home Premium lets you do more, effortlessly
A big differentiator of Office 365 Home Premium is its subscription service model, which comes with cloud-connected capabilities. It includes a one-license-for-the-entire-household model (up to five PCs or Macs and on mobile devices), 27 GB of cloud storage with SkyDrive (20 GB more than the perpetual license user), as well as 60 free Skype world calling minutes per month – so calls can be made to selected mobile, landline or PCs around the world. Users will also get ongoing product and services upgrades for as long as they are subscribed to the service. For Office 365 subscribers, this means new features and services stream to subscribers as soon as they’re ready, eliminating the hassles of upgrading and keeping subscribers always up-to-date.

“With Office 365 Home Premium, home users can now leverage the many added benefits and features available with the subscription service. Microsoft has effectively harnessed the power of the cloud to provide you with most complete, connected and secure Office yet. It comes with the most complete set of Office applications which you can access seamlessly across multiple devices, it integrates information from Facebook and LinkedIn so you’re always connected with at-a-glance contact information, availability, status updates and activity feeds, and your data and personal information is constantly safe with its incorporated security measures such as data loss prevention, malware protection, compliance management, and flexible deployment options across on-premises and in the cloud,” said Ong.

Students leverage more with Office 365 University
University students and faculty members can now leverage the powerful features and benefits of the new Office.

With Office 365 University, one single user will get the same cloud-connected benefits of Office 365 Home Premium, but for a four-year subscription on up to 2 PCs or Macs and select mobile devices.

“For 20 years, Microsoft has always strived to provide state-of-the-art technology to improve and enhance the experiences of those within the Education arena. We feel that educators and students are the future of Malaysia, which is why we took the opportunity to offer Universities a cost-friendly package so that students and teachers can take advantage of this new service with the assurance of a more seamless and secure, yet fun experience,” explained Ong.

“Office 365 University is an amazing deal for college and university students. Besides being extremely affordable, the seamless experience that Office 365 University offers has effectively altered the way I study. I am no longer confined to a conventional University PC, I can now access my most current documents anytime, anywhere, be it with my smartphone, tablet or on my desktop PC. I find I have more “my time” now with Office 365 University,” said Bryan Lai, a student of Taylor’s University.

Time To Do The Things You Want
To help people find more time to do the things they want, Microsoft is also introducing “Time to 365” (www.office.com/timeto365), a new crowd-sourced website where people can find and share tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration from around the world.  Contributors include experts like “techorating” pro Janna Robinson (http://www.jannarobinson.com) and everyday working parents who have found ways to simplify their lives. Tips on the site include, for example, an idea for organizing your grocery list with OneNote on your phone, a pointer on how to pick the right-sized TV for your living room and ways to use Office applications to help plan a child’s birthday party.

The New Office Now Available For Purchase
Users who want an enhanced experience in productivity anytime, and anywhere they desire can now purchase Office 365 Home Premium at a subscription of RM259 per year, and Office 365 University at RM249 for a four-year subscription.

For users who want Office on a single PC only, without the additional benefits of SkyDrive, Skype and free future version upgrades that come with Office 365, they may opt for standalone versions of Office Home & Student 2013 at RM349, Office Home & Business 2013 at RM889 or Office Professional 2013 at RM1,579.

People can learn more about Office 365 Home Premium or try it free for 30 days at www.office.com.