Microsoft Office 2013 will ship within the next few months and this is the reason Microsoft is preparing an upgrade program that will target owners of Office 2010 in a way very similar to the Windows 8 upgrade program.
The Office 2013 upgrade program will kick off on October 19 this year and will allow owners of Office 2010 to upgrade to 2013 for free or at discounted prices once the newest Office software suite becomes available. To be eligible for the program you must have purchased Office 2010 between October 19, 2012 and April 30, 2013.
Specifics on how much of a discount can be expected weren’t mentioned although it’s worth pointing out that a similar program for Office 2010 resulted in a free upgrade. That may not be the case this time around, however, if Microsoft’s upgrade path to Windows 8 is any indication. Customers purchasing a Windows 7 machine between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013 will have to pay 14.99 USD to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro once it’s available in October. The publication points out that the upgrade program for Windows Vista was free.
Microsoft’s Office 2013 is expected to reach RTM status in November 2012 with general availability scheduled for February 2013.
Source: Techspot.com