Office 2010: UK prices unveiled

The UK prices for Microsoft Office 2010 have finally been released, with a boxed version of the Home and Student version costing £109.99 and the Professional version priced at £429.99.

With the June 2010 arrival of Office drawing ever closer, the UK pricing announcement has now told us what we'll be forking out for Microsoft's ubiquitous applications, and that - like the US - we won't be handed an upgrade option.

From the bottom up, the boxed version will cost: £109.99 for the Office Home and Student version, £239 for Office Home and Business and £429.99 for Office Professional.

Included programs

The Home and Student version brings Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010 and Office Web Apps – the Home and Business adds Outlook 2010 (for an extra £130!) and the Professional version brings Publisher 2010, Access 2010 and Premium technical support to round out the package.

So why the huge disparity between the Home and Student and Home and Business? Microsoft told us: "Office Home & Business 2010 includes the addition of Outlook and is licenced for commercial use are which are not available in Home & Student.

"Office Home & Business 2010 represents a substantial savings over comparative Office Standard 2007 suite while including an additional application (OneNote) and Office Web Apps.]"

Product Key Cards

There are cheaper Product Key Card pricings as well, which are available to people who buy new computers.

"As announced back in October, the release of Office 2010 will see the introduction of Product Key Cards, which will be available to consumers who purchase a new PC from Microsoft's retail partners," explains Microsoft.

"With most consumers and small businesses typically purchasing Office with a new PC, the majority of users will immediately benefit from the greater value and simplified setup experience offered by Product Key Cards.

"The key number contained on the card will unlock Office 2010 software that has been pre-loaded by the PC manufacturers onto the new PC, and will enable a simpler and faster path for consumers to begin using any one of three full versions of Microsoft Office."

For the record, the Product Key Card prices are: £89.99 for the Home and Student, £189.99 for Home and Business and £299 for Office Professional.

Microsoft will not be offering upgrades as with previous versions of Office.