Microsoft to let Office users jump to Professional

Move aims to placate customers surprised by product differentiation. Microsoft Corp. when it releases Office 2003 will give certain Office Standard Edition users the right to order Office Professional Edition applications at no extra cost and offer a "Step-up License" to upgrade to the full Office Professional suite, the company said.

Both offers apply only to volume license buyers who bought a right to upgrade to Office 2003 Standard Edition from earlier editions, either through Software Assurance or its predecessor, Upgrade Advantage, Microsoft said in a document posted to its licensing Web site on Monday. Microsoft hopes the offers will entice customers to switch to the more expensive Office Professional Edition, but also aims to satisfy customers who may have been unpleasantly surprised by the vendor's move announced earlier this year to further differentiate the Office editions, said Dan Leach, lead product manager for Office at Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft.

"We announced the differentiation of the Office versions after customers may have made the decision to go with the Standard Edition. Those customers may want those new features in Office Professional," Leach said.

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