Microsoft announces Office for Mac 2011 pricing, sets October launch

Microsoft's Mac business unit today released the final pricing of Office for Mac 2011 when it is released in late October. The productivity suite will come in three different editions, and will include a couple of multi-pack options.

Office for Mac Home & Student Edition will come with Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Messenger 8 and will be available for $119 for a single install, or as a Family Pack (3 installs) for $149. This particular edition does not include Outlook for Mac, but it can be added through an online upgrade program.

Home & Business Edition will be the most comprehensive Office package from Microsoft, and will include Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Messenger 8 for $199.00 for one install, or as a two-install multi-pack for $279. 

Office for Mac Academic Edition also includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Messenger 8, but only costs $99 for one install. Academic retail prices are available to teachers, faculty, staff, and students of U.S. educational institutions.

The software is slated for a late October release, but customers can buy Office 2008 between August first and November 30 and upgrade to Office 2011 for free when it launches.