# Office 2010 - No Upgrade SKU - WTF?? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 6, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280 "2010-10-06T18:22:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/1 "2010-10-06T18:22:57Z")
I’ve been wondering where the Office 2010 upgrades were when shopping in Staples, Best Buy, etc… Finally got on a live chat with Microsoft and they said there is \*\*NOT ANY UPGRADE SKU AVAILABLE!!! \*\*WTF is up with this?? He did state that if I had purchased 2007 after a certain point, 2010 is a free upgrade, but as I purchased when 2007 first came out, that is not an option for me. In other words, the only way to get 2010 is to **BUY THE WHOLE PRODUCT AGAIN!** WTF is MS thinking with this strategy? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/2 "2010-10-06T18:36:51Z")
**$$$** ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/3 "2010-10-06T18:38:27Z")
Yeah, I’m massively pissed about this too. Guess I have an excuse not to take work home now, though. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/4 "2010-10-06T18:58:26Z")
So, do what everyone else does, and pirate the stuff. Or buy the student version. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/5 "2010-10-06T19:12:33Z")
According to [this story](http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363683,00.asp): > [@](#): > > Why won’t Microsoft offer upgrade pricing on Office 2010? Because few were buying it, a company representative said. > > \ > > “We looked at how people are using and buying Office and we found two things: Not a lot of people were buying the upgrade,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. “When people do buy a new version of Office they do it with the purchase of a new PC.” > > Due to this, the majority of retailers do not sell Office upgrades off their shelves, the Microsoft representative said. it does seem, however, that you can get a discounted copy that is pretty similar in price to the old upgrade version: > [@](#): > > Instead, Microsoft is making discounts available via Product Key Cards, essentially license keys. Armed with the key, consumers can download the software and install it themselves, using the key to unlock the software package. Users must re-download the software if their installation for some reason becomes unusable, however. > > \ > > Office 2010 Professional is priced at $499 boxed or $349 with a product key, a 30 percent discount, Microsoft has said. Office Home and Business costs $279 for the boxed copy, and $199 with the product key, a 28 percent discount. It seems to me that those discounts are pretty similar in size to the old upgrade discounts. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/6 "2010-10-06T19:26:10Z")
If you work for a decent-sized company, there’s a good chance that you can buy Office through the Home Use Program for ten bucks. That’s not the Student edition either - that’s for the Professional Plus version. They also have Office 2008 for Mac at $10. (not sure when Office Mac 2011 is coming out) This price is to download - if you want a “backup” DVD, add $12. Your employer needs to be a “volume licensing” customer with Software Assurance coverage - your computer support staff probably has the information. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/7 "2010-10-06T20:25:19Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > So, do what everyone else does, and pirate the stuff. Or buy the student version. Or just refuse to perpetuate the lock-in and don’t use Microsoft software. Yes, I realize that’s not practical in some cases. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/8 "2010-10-06T20:53:22Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > Or buy the student version. > [@gotpasswords](#): > > That’s not the Student edition either - that’s for the Professional Plus version. Are there limitations on the student edition? Anyone know what the cuttoff is for installation of 2007 to get the upgrade? ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/9 "2010-10-06T20:57:11Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > If you work for a decent-sized company, there’s a good chance that you can buy Office through the Home Use Program for ten bucks. That’s not the Student edition either - that’s for the Professional Plus version. They also have Office 2008 for Mac at $10. (not sure when Office Mac 2011 is coming out) This price is to download - if you want a “backup” DVD, add $12. > > Your employer needs to be a “volume licensing” customer with Software Assurance coverage - your computer support staff probably has the information. I came in to say this. It is a surprisingly good deal, if your company can swing it. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/10 "2010-10-06T21:59:19Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > If you work for a decent-sized company, there’s a good chance that you can buy Office through the Home Use Program for ten bucks. The problem with this is that your license is only good while you work for that company. But yeah, if you’re not planning on going anywhere, it’s a great deal. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/11 "2010-10-09T11:26:11Z")
Why do you need to upgrade? What has Office 2010 got that you need that isn’t in Office 2007? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/12 "2010-10-09T12:34:34Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > If you work for a decent-sized company, there’s a good chance that you can buy Office through the Home Use Program for ten bucks. That’s not the Student edition either - that’s for the Professional Plus version. They also have Office 2008 for Mac at $10. (not sure when Office Mac 2011 is coming out) This price is to download - if you want a “backup” DVD, add $12. > > Your employer needs to be a “volume licensing” customer with Software Assurance coverage - your computer support staff probably has the information. My company has access to the Home Use program. Unfortunately the company just switched over within the last few months to official use of Office 2007, right around the time that the Home Use program started offering Office 2010. So if you decided to upgrade to 2007 at home to match your work machine’s version - you found it wasn’t available. :smack: Fortunately I’d bought Office before that and just had to keep reminding myself for a number of months that I had to save as an older version of Office documents. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/13 "2010-10-09T12:47:37Z")
> [@Digital\_Stimulus](#): > > > [@crazyjoe](#): > > > > So, do what everyone else does, and pirate the stuff. Or buy the student version. > > Or just refuse to perpetuate the lock-in and don’t use Microsoft software. > > Yes, I realize that’s not practical in some cases. You masturbate to pictures of Linus Torvalds, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-2010-no-upgrade-sku-wtf/556280/14 "2010-10-09T13:58:08Z")
> [@Michael\_Ellis](#): > > You masturbate to pictures of Linus Torvalds, don’t you? **gulp** How did _you_ know? Are you that creepy business dude next door who wears white socks with his bermuda shorts on the weekends? I _thought_ it was odd that you were hanging around outside my window… Woohooo! Masturbating like a motherfuck!