The packaging of any new tech product is not nearly as important as its contents, but in the spirit of the launch, there’s usually a fleeting interest in the design of the box. With Office 2013 not too far away, leaks earlier this week purported to depict the box art for those purchasing a physical copy from stores, and now, said designs have been confirmed.
As well as the previously seen art, there are a few more images illustrating several other styles of Office 2013 packaging you’ll start to see on shelves when it begins selling early next year.
Anybody purchasing Office 2010 between now and the release of Office 2013 will receive a free copy of the newer edition, as will those having bought the older edition of Microsoft’s flagship productivity suite from 19th October 2012 until now.
Those who purchased the Redmond company’s Surface tablet will receive a free preview version of Office 2013, and once the proper retail edition finally makes an appearance, they’ll be able to upgrade at no extra charge.
Windows may have had its ups and downs over the past decade, with Vista being a stand-out low point, but Office has continued to evolve. Even with several cheaper (and even free) alternatives available, a large portion of Windows (and Mac) users opt for the familiarity of Microsoft Office.
In the near future, the Surface will not be isolated in its tablet support of Office, either. Microsoft had allegedly revealed that a version of Office is coming to the iPad at some point, and with OneNote having already reached the App Store, one suspects a significant portion of iOS users will ditch the iWork suite in place of Office – as many do on their desktop. Sure, partisan Mac fans would perhaps never entertain such a notion, but with some OS X users having only used a Mac for the past couple of years, those old habits certainly die hard.
As for the packaging, it’s not surprising to see everything clean-cut, as per Windows 8. Microsoft’s Metro/Modern interface is a significant part of its current software endeavors, and although some may label the box art to be somewhat dull, at least it offers a reasonable representation of the software within.
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