# Decent price for Office 2008 student & teacher edition



## Fox (Oct 4, 2002)

Does anyone know where in Canada that this can be purchased at a price comparable to that charged in the U.S. The best price I've been able to find for this in Canada is $180 at FutureShop. But in the U.S., it is being routinely sold for $130-145 by electronics (BestBuy) and on-line dealers (MacMall, etc.). In BestBuy Canada, they want $200 for it, and even university bookstores are selling it for that much. What gives?


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

Just one more compelling reason why I went with iWork ($71 edu). I work at a University that has a strong MS Office fetish and I haven't suffered a bit using iWork.


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## med8or (Jan 18, 2002)

rgray said:


> Just one more compelling reason why I went with iWork ($71 edu). I work at a University that has a strong MS Office fetish and I haven't suffered a bit using iWork.


Perhaps I'm missing something. I'm not entirely clear on how one might use iWork when they are in an Office environment? How would you share documents with colleagues who may or may not be Mac users and may or may not use iWork? I'm assuming that you'd have to convert each file to a .doc format? I remember the days when the Mac MS Word was a different format than the PC Word and that was a real pain back then.

Thanks.


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

Fox said:


> Does anyone know where in Canada that this can be purchased at a decent price. The best price I've been able to find for this in Canada is $180 at FutureShop. But in the U.S., it is being routinely sold for $130-145 by electronics (BestBuy) and on-line dealers (MacMall, etc.). In BestBuy Canada, they want $200 for it, and even university bookstores are selling it for that much. What gives?


1) Exchange rate does not equal same prices.

2) Supplier cost for Office 2008 Student Home Edition is about $160.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

It just opens .docs and saves as .docs if that's what you want. In truth, my interaction in this regard is minimal and the level of wordprocessing (and spreadsheets) I encounter from the institution and with journals is really not very high, but no-one has ever noticed, or at least remarked, on .docs I send them. If you have a lot of complex formatting you might have issues...

As usual, YMMV...


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

Which is why I use NeoOffice (Open Office)... total cost = free


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

The upside is that it's not "Student and Teacher" anymore but "Home and Student" and you're allowed to install it on three machines. Yes, it still costs >2x as much as iWork, but if I'm not mistaken this is the most reasonable non-educational price for Office in eons. As long as you don't need Exchange Server support, that is.

That said, if you want the better U.S. pricing, the solution is obvious: order from the U.S.


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## 2hondas (Jun 26, 2007)

My Uni bookstore won't have any copies until mid February.  No mention on price yet.


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## Fox (Oct 4, 2002)

U of T and U of Alberta both list it for $199, so I doubt that it will be any different at UWO. 

In answer to iMatt's point, the cheaper U.S. price is nearly offset by shipping and handling fees. Given the near equal exchange rate of the Canadian and U.S. dollars, I don't understand why the product should cost 35% more in Canada (excluding taxes). I also don't remember seeing this differential for other MS products. I'm not objecting to the cost of the product per se, but the Canada-U.S. cost differential. Looking back over my original posting, I realize that it didn't come across that way. (I changed its wording to reflect what I meant.)


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

I suppose you can always share your copy with two other people and cut the price by two-thirds.
MS Office 2008 Mac (Home & Student) 2 Installs remain - eBay (item 120212596890 end time Jan-25-08 18:28:34 PST)


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## ericlewis91 (Jul 12, 2007)

Buy any Mac at futureshop

and get officemac 08- 50dollars off

or buy office mac 08 on futureshop.ca and get a 2gb flash drive free


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## jicon (Jan 12, 2005)

I've read no direct Exchange support in the Home/Student edition, but I wonder if you can connect to Exchange over http? Anyone?

Edit: Home/Student edition won't support connection over HTTP.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

The site licensed versions won't come out until early February. [Some] students and faculty can get the cheap OEM site license discs then.


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## Fox (Oct 4, 2002)

FYI, Future Shop has advertised this week a free 2gb usb drive with MS Office Mac 2008 (any version). The drive sells for $20 in their stores; pretty much the going rate for these drives. This brings the cost of the Home and Student edition down to $160; much closer to the U.S. price. If you don't need a usb drive, you might try asking for a store credit for the $20 instead of the drive.


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## macmac (Oct 22, 2006)

rgray said:


> Just one more compelling reason why I went with iWork ($71 edu). I work at a University that has a strong MS Office fetish and I haven't suffered a bit using iWork.


I hear'ya on that one. I also work in an office environment and the EXPORT to PDF or WORD options work great. 

The reason why I would like to get Office though, is because of Powerpoint, as it can do things Keynote cannot. I wish I could just buy powerpoint though as I don't need the entire suit.


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## zmttoxics (Oct 16, 2007)

My problem with pages would be that it does not support .odt format. Where work and at school, openoffice is a staple. Can't get around it now. So I use NeoOffice to get around any problems. I have a copy of an older msoffice just incase, but rarely need it.


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

I found it at CDW.ca for $184, but with shipping that probably won't be a deal. $180 at Futureshop sounds like a better deal, I'll look at that. Thanks.


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## macmac (Oct 22, 2006)

I'm sorry, but $180 for office is ludicrous. Maybe everyone on here runs million dollar businesses, where they can afford it and write it off...but for the average joe (like myself) $180 is an enormous amount of money office. 

Iwork was a deal at $78.00, something affordable and cuts down in piracy.
If MS lowered their prices, more people would buy the software instead of looking for pirated versions. Just basic common sense. 

High prices = piracy

Low prices = honest purchases


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## Firefox (Dec 29, 2007)

guytoronto said:


> 1) Exchange rate does not equal same prices.
> 
> 2) Supplier cost for Office 2008 Student Home Edition is about $160.


Who ever gave you that information is lying to you, to make a huge profit.
I am getting Office 08 for $79, actually it might be cheaper then that.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Put up or shut up.....*I'll take 30 copies right now at $79 Canadian for legal fully packaged Office 2008 for Mac.*

I'm


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

macmac said:


> I'm sorry, but $180 for office is ludicrous. Maybe everyone on here runs million dollar businesses, where they can afford it and write it off...but for the average joe (like myself) $180 is an enormous amount of money office.


If you're making money with it, I think it's a fair price for professional software. But only *if* you're making money with it. Over its useful life it'll cost you about $40-50/year, tax deductible. Drop in the bucket.

If your hobbies involve word processing, spreadsheets or presentations, then NeoOffice or iWork would seem to be better options. Even so, it's cheaper than a lot of pro software that also has a hobbyist audience, such as Aperture ($299). (You mentioned you need specific PowerPoint features, so am I right to assume it's for professional, not personal, use?)

That said, I do wish iWork could do everything I need, and not just because of price. In fact, I would gladly pay $180 for iWork if it met my needs.


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## Firefox (Dec 29, 2007)

I can get you 30 copies, but you can't sell them nor can you put them on ebay or MS will seek legal action.
If you don't believe me I'll show you my Vista copy  which i paid $54 for Ultimate


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## mmp (Oct 20, 2001)

Firefox I would like a copy of Office @ $79 and a copy of Vista Ultimate for $54. I will be honest with the copies. Please PM me or email me so we can complete the transaction. Also, instead of you paying a sellers fee on the classified page at those prices I will gladly make an equal donation to ehMac!


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

$180 is peanuts compared to the $3,000 - $10,000 software packages we use at work. Of course those are specialized professional programs.


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## jonmon (Feb 15, 2002)

i'd also like a copy for $79


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

What a bunch of bull**** - sealed legal copies that are unregistered can be sold forward .....quit pedalling your crap and disinformation. 

Vista is NOT a legal sealed Office for Mac 2008 retail package which is being discussed here.

There are probably thousands of Vista copies out there that people ordered on the free upgrade from XP then sold forward.

You're in way over your head here.........either say EXACTLY the version and source of a legit $79 retail Office 2008 for Mac or withdraw the statement that it's available.


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## Firefox (Dec 29, 2007)

MacDoc said:


> What a bunch of bull**** - sealed legal copies that are unregistered can be sold forward .....quit pedalling your crap and disinformation.
> 
> Vista is NOT a legal sealed Office for Mac 2008 retail package which is being discussed here.
> 
> ...


How about this....those that believe me and aren't complete asshats can pm me, and i'll respond. They get their copies, and you can kiss my bottom. I don't have to prove anything to anyone.
The reason why you can't sell it on ebay is because they are tagged (the casing has the customer id #). So you can be a complete jackass and get him fired or you can shut you mouth and I can help people get a copy of the worst operating system since MS DoS. 
I never said registered, learn to read or actually comprehened what is said... I don't have to withdraw anything I've said, and why should i?

Don't msg me because I won't help you get a copy for a lot less.


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## Hodge (Feb 2, 2007)

sigelectronics.com has it on for $134.99 - that's the cheapest price I've seen for it in Canada. 

SIG Electronics - Your one stop shopping center for Electronics.

Everyone else seems to be around $45 more than that...


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

> I can *help people get a copy of the worst operating system since MS DoS.*
> I never said registered, learn to read or actually comprehened what is said... I don't have to withdraw anything I've said, and why should i?


so they send you $79 and you send them a copy of XP instead of the legal Office 2008 for Mac they want.

I'd say you've hung yourself quite effectively.

••

That $134 is a great price.


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## keebler27 (Jan 5, 2007)

Search Results

for what it's worth.


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## Firefox (Dec 29, 2007)

MacDoc said:


> so they send you $79 and you send them a copy of XP instead of the legal Office 2008 for Mac they want.
> 
> I'd say you've hung yourself quite effectively.
> 
> ...


I'm guessing you like making things up. Enjoy paying more.


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## cchaynes (Oct 25, 2007)

iwould take one at 79$


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

cchaynes said:


> iwould take one at 79$


Based on this thread it's questionable if that software is worth even the $79.-
http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/60641-ms-office-2008-tips-tricks-thread-2.html#post632279


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## cchaynes (Oct 25, 2007)

krs said:


> Based on this thread it's questionable if that software is worth even the $79.-
> http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/60641-ms-office-2008-tips-tricks-thread-2.html#post632279


lol

thats true!

it had better start up faster !


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

:clap:


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## wcg (Oct 13, 2007)

Hodge said:


> sigelectronics.com has it on for $134.99 - that's the cheapest price I've seen for it in Canada.
> 
> SIG Electronics - Your one stop shopping center for Electronics.
> 
> Everyone else seems to be around $45 more than that...


Anyone dealt with this company? Site looks good and prices look good, any experience would be good to know....


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## keebler27 (Jan 5, 2007)

wcg said:


> Anyone dealt with this company? Site looks good and prices look good, any experience would be good to know....


yup. bought the aebs for $119.99 + $8 shipping - had it in 3 days. also had emailed them about the price and had an answer within 24 hours. i'm buying applecare for my mac pro...wicked price on that too. i'll buy again from them.


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## Hodge (Feb 2, 2007)

wcg said:


> Anyone dealt with this company? Site looks good and prices look good, any experience would be good to know....


I've ordered from them a few times before - got my applecare, an airport extreme and a wireless keyboard - no problems or complaints with any of it, other than they were a little slow to ship - but I'm talking a few extra days, not weeks or anything...


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

wcg said:


> Anyone dealt with this company? Site looks good and prices look good, any experience would be good to know....


I bought from them as well - no problems, items actually arrived sooner than I expected.


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## treif (Jul 12, 2004)

Hodge said:


> sigelectronics.com has it on for $134.99 - that's the cheapest price I've seen for it in Canada.
> 
> SIG Electronics - Your one stop shopping center for Electronics.
> 
> Everyone else seems to be around $45 more than that...


Actually, the price there is now $115. Is it worth it? Well...seems like it needs a .1 update. Here's a review:
http://www.macintouch.com/reviews/office2008/
Note that SIG also sells Applecare for ABSOLUTELY the lowest prices I've ever seen. For a MacBook Pro, it's $199, which is half the price from Apple. Begs the question-how much profit is there in Applecare?
Only your dealer knows for sure...


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## Hodge (Feb 2, 2007)

treif said:


> Actually, the price there is now $115. Is it worth it? Well...seems like it needs a .1 update. Here's a review:
> Microsoft Office 2008 (Review)
> Note that SIG also sells Applecare for ABSOLUTELY the lowest prices I've ever seen. For a MacBook Pro, it's $199, which is half the price from Apple. Begs the question-how much profit is there in Applecare?
> Only your dealer knows for sure...


Yikes, that is a low price ($115)...


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

Damn, I wish I had seen that price. I already bought my copy at Futureshop for $180 and the free USB 2GB Flash drive.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

Kosh said:


> Damn, I wish I had seen that price. I already bought my copy at Futureshop for $180 and the free USB 2GB Flash drive.


Doesn't Futureshop offer some sort of price guaranty for 15 days?


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## cchaynes (Oct 25, 2007)

home and student = 3 installs right?

if so, 40$ per machine is great

i really dont like the old version of office!


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

cchaynes said:


> home and student = 3 installs right?
> 
> if so, 40$ per machine is great
> 
> i really dont like the old version of office!


How does that "3 installs" actually work?

If I have to re-install MS Office on the Mac because the original install has become corrupt, does that count as my second install?

At $115.- it now is price wise close enough to iWork to make it a tough decision what to pick.


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## Fox (Oct 4, 2002)

When you buy the product, you get three serial numbers with it. Use one for each of the three computers you install it on. If you have to reinstall use the same serial number as before.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

The three serials are for three computers belonging to members of your family normally within the same household (aka if your child is studying across the country or world but normally lives in your household otherwise, that qualifies, your aunt in Florida, not so much.)


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

Fox said:


> When you buy the product, you get three serial numbers with it. Use one for each of the three computers you install it on. If you have to reinstall use the same serial number as before.


Thanks -

I somehow thought the installation serial number is sent to Microsoft and registered there and if you need to install the software again and use the same serial number the second installation gets blocked.

I use MS Office 2004 now and every once in a while, totally out of the blue, a message pops up saying something like "I exceeded the allowed number of installations".
This happens when I'm not even using Office - actually it has never happened when I do use Office. 
Other than being an annoyance, this message seems to have no other effect. I have no clue why it's coming up - I can't even remember if I ever had to reinstall that software, if so it was a few years ago.


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## Fox (Oct 4, 2002)

krs, I had a similar problem about a month ago when I had to reinstall Office 2004 on one of my home Macs and I couldn't remember which serial number was associated with it. I chose the wrong one, and if I ran an Office app at the same time that one was being run on another Mac in my house, I would get the "exceeded quota" message, except that it would quit right after that. The Macs in my house are wireless-networked, so I assume that the software checks to see if another installation with the same serial number is already working. But it's also possible that it "phones home" (I.e. Microsoft) when it starts up. The solution is to write down which serial number is used on which Mac, and then you can use the same if you have to reinstall. 

I can assure you that it doesn't work like Windows xp where a serial number is registered with MS to a given computer and locked to that computer unless you call them. For example, I have taken an installation off a computer I sold and put it on a new one with no problem.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

krs said:


> I use MS Office 2004 now and every once in a while, totally out of the blue, a message pops up saying something like "I exceeded the allowed number of installations".


You have two copies on your home network with the same serial number, and you get the message whenever someone is trying to use the other copy. That's why you get the message when you AREN'T using Office yourself -- if you tried, it would either not come up OR it would work for YOU and then the OTHER person would get that message.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

chas_m said:


> You have two copies on your home network with the same serial number, and you get the message whenever someone is trying to use the other copy. That's why you get the message when you AREN'T using Office yourself -- if you tried, it would either not come up OR it would work for YOU and then the OTHER person would get that message.


Sounds very logical except for one small problem.
At the location where this happens, I don't have a home network as such and also only one Mac.

The set up here (where this happens) is a G4 PowerMac with OS 10.4.10 and a PC with Windows XP.
They are both connected to a hub then to a DSL modem to access the net.
There is no network connection between the two computers, but even if there were - one is a Windows machine the other a Mac, so even if both are running MS Office - it sure can't be the same serial number.

One thing I just though of while typing. I make regular backups - a tear ago to a second internal drive, now to an external firewire drive. All my drives are on 24/7.
I wonder if MS Office picks up the back up copy on either of these drives and that triggers the message. A long shot - I rather doubt it, but who knows.


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