Office 2010 prices: the good, the bad and the costly

Microsoft has announced UK pricing for Office 2010 and once again there's bad news for British customers.

UPDATE: MICROSOFT COCK-UP ADDS £30 TO OFFICE 2010 PRICE

Buyers of Office Home and Business are being asked to pay £240 (all UK prices include VAT) for the full boxed version of the software, over £60 more than the US price of £178 ($280) on a straight dollar conversion. Office Professional, which includes every app in the Office portfolio, will cost £430* in Britain, but only £318 ($500) in the US.

"There are a number of different things that play a role [in British Office pricing]," explained Microsoft's Office product manager, Chris Adams, when PC Pro asked him to explain the discrepancies. "There's not one specific thing that leads to differences between us and the US," he said, citing factors such as foreign exchange rates, the cost of localisation and varying production costs from country-to-country.

There's not one specific thing that leads to differences between us and the US

The good news is that the price differences aren't too steep on the entry-level suite, Office Home and Student, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. The price of the full boxed version in the UK is £110, compared to a US price of £95 ($120).

All prices are only Microsoft's suggested figures, and retailers will undoubtedly sell the software at below ticket price.

Product Key Cards

Microsoft is introducing a new Product Key Card scheme with Office 2010. This will see trial versions of the Office software pre-installed on new PCs, which users will be able to unlock with a code purchased from retailers or Microsoft itself.

There is, however, a catch with this new system. Although the Key Card codes are cheaper, they only include one licence rather than the three that come with the boxed versions of the software.

That means buyers will pay £90 to unlock Office Home and Student on a single PC, but only £20 more to get a licence for three PCs and, of course, the full back-up disc media that comes inside the box.

Adams says that Microsoft hopes retailers will make this distinction clear to buyers when they purchase a new PC, although as PC Pro's own investigations have shown, High Street retailers aren't exactly renowned for their technical competence.

Retailers will be able to set their own prices for the physical key cards, but at launch only Microsoft will be able to deliver Office unlock codes over the internet. Adams confirmed that Microsoft will be charging full retail prices for these codes.

The Office 2010 price list

Office Home and Student 2010 - £110 (£90 for Product Key Card)

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Web Apps

Office Home and Business 2010 - £240 (£190)

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Office Web Apps

Office Professional 2010 - £430* (£300)

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access, Office Web Apps, premium technical support

(Revised price, was originally stated as £400)

MINI Spirit returns

British legend's big plans for new small car are exclusively revealed

It’s MINI’s biggest ever secret – and autoexpress.co.uk has all the details.

We’ve uncovered a bold plan by the British car maker to develop a new family of city cars, including a zero emission flagship powered by an advanced electric engine.

Though exact details remain scarce, it’s believed that the ultra efficient model line up will also offer drivers fuel sipping petrol engines as MINI owner BMW seeks to build an army of green machines aimed at beating tough legislation on CO2 and other gas emissions due in 2012.

Set to hit the road as early as 2011, it’s been confirmed to Auto Express that the top-secret machine is being developed alongside two new models from a joint venture between Fiat and BMW that’s tipped to mark the return of the famous BMW Isetta and Topolino nameplates

Aimed at a fast growing family of soon to be launched rivals – including Volkswagen’s Up! and a new family of small electric cars from French maker Reanult, MINI is promising to return to its roots with a lightweight model the promises to be every bit as innovative as the 1959 original.

It’s said to be no accident that MINI has chosen its 50th year to begin to develop such a ground breaking new model.

With its engine in back, petrol models will offer four seats and easy to access four door cabin. Individual chairs for driver and passenger will ensure safety is first rate, while the car’s wheel at each corner stance promises to ensure the car feels secure and stable on the road.

Plenty of effort is being poured in to ensuring that visibility is as good as it can possibly be with a large glass area set to ensure that the car is as easy as possible to drive on congested city roads.

Also under consideration is lightweight, tough plastic bodywork, like that fitted to the Mercedes Smart, while the car’s chassis will mix aluminium and composite materials like carbon fibre to deliver enormous strength and light weight.

Electric models could further improve the car’s interior space by locating the batteries in a thin sandwich under the car, and placing electric motors in all four wheels.

Technology to propel this version of the machine is reportedly already well advanced, and has already been publicly trialled in a prototype MINI called the E. This machine, which uses a battery and engine set up similar to that developed by American sportscar firm Tesla is set to be made available in small numbers in both the USA and Germany.

There’s no word on pricing for the newcomer, but given the advanced technology it’s expected to offer, it’s likely that flagship models will cost at least £20,000. A concept paving the way to full production is tipped to make an appearance at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

Jaguar's reborn XJ220

Bosses insist it doesn’t exist – but we lift the lid on big cat’s plans for stunning new 200mph Audi beater...

It’s set to be one of the fastest cars ever built, and positive proof that the future of the British motor industry has never been brighter…

Jaguar is getting ready to reinvent its stunning XJ220, Auto Express can sensationally reveal – and it looks likely to make a dramatic appearance at a major international motor show in the next 18 months.

According to our network of spies, the revolutionary sports car is being developed by the firm’s best engineers as a rival to the Audi R8. It’s based on an all-new aluminium chassis, which has been developed using the same know-how behind both the XJ and XK models.

The car will have aluminium panels stretched over an alloy and composite tub, while under the bonnet is likely to be a tuned version of the 503bhp 5.0-litre supercharged V8, set to power the eagerly anticipated XFR. A mildly modified version of this engine has already propelled a near-showroom-spec XFR to an incredible 225mph on the Bonneville salt flats in the US. The new supercar is likely to match this figure, while the sprint from 0-60mph should take less than four seconds.

The two-seater is tipped to be called the XE, and has been styled by a team led by Ian Callum. Our exclusive pictures offer a taste of what drivers can look forward to. Pulling together the very latest in design and combining it with influences from the company’s history, the model evokes the best of Jaguar’s past and present.

At the front, there’s an oval grille – inspired by that on the E-Type – framed by narrow, ultra-efficient LED headlamps. A steeply raked windscreen keeps the car’s overall height as low as possible, while the wide rear end supports buttress C-pillars, similar to those on the new Ferrari 599 GTB. As in the R8 and Ferrari’s F430, the engine will be visible through the rear windscreen.

Wide air intakes dominate the model’s front end, and deep scoops in the flanks help feed cooling air to the supercharged engine. Yet despite the new Jaguar’s huge performance potential, environmental credentials are set to be at the top of the agenda. CO2 emissions will be less than 300g/km, while the powerplant will be capable of running on biofuel-blended petrol – so the newcomer will be one of the cleanest high-performance cars money can buy. Liberal use of lightweight materials, including aluminium and carbon fibre, will further improve the machine’s fuel efficiency and performance.

Despite Auto Express’s scoop, Jaguar is denying this car exists. A spokesperson insisted that it was not in the company’s product plans… Speaking at the Detroit Motor Show, Jaguar managing director Mike O’Driscoll didn’t rule out the potential to add to the line-up, but claimed the company’s focus at present was solidly on the XK, XF and forthcoming XJ.

“I’d love Jaguar to build a sports car one day,” he said. “It would complement our flagship XK coupé. The brand is all about producing great sports cars and sports saloons.”

Aston Martin may axe 600 jobs in cost-cutting drive

Aston Martin may cut as many as 600 jobs, the British sports car brand said today.

The possible cuts of 300 full-time jobs along with "a similar number" of temporary positions are part of a discussion between the former Ford Motor Co. subsidiary and its trade union. Aston Martin also said it's considering other undisclosed cutbacks related to worldwide economic woes and plunging sales.

"These are regrettable but necessary measures in the extraordinary market conditions we all now face," Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez said in a statement.

The cutbacks come as the automaker seeks to revive the Lagonda luxury brand to diversify its product mix beyond sports cars.

Julian Jenkins, CEO of Aston Martin North America, said sales fell 19 percent through the first three quarters of 2008, while the ultraluxury segment dropped 21 percent.

The Warwickshire, England-based company has 1,850 employees worldwide. The company said a 90-day consultation period had been launched with the union Unite, and that the jobs would go in the new year.

In May of last year, Ford sold Aston Martin to a group that included motorsports investors David Richards and John Sinders and two Kuwait-based investment companies. Ford took its initial stake in Aston Martin in 1987.

PRESS RELEASE: Aston Marton announces job cuts

Gaydon, 1 December 2008 - Aston Martin and its Trade Union partners have today begun consultation on a range of cutbacks to reflect the current downturn in the world economy and the corresponding fall in car sales. It is hoped to do this by minimising the impact on employees as far as possible, but the possibility of up to 300 permanent and a similar number of temporary job losses cannot be ruled out.

Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: "Like other premium car brands, Aston Martin has been forced to take action to respond to the unprecedented downturn in the global economy. These are regrettable but necessary measures in the extraordinary market conditions we all now face.

"Overall we remain confident that the Aston Martin brand is the strongest it has ever been - with dedicated design, engineering and manufacturing facilities and an award-winning product range, we remain well positioned for the upturn in the economy."

Bentley boom is over — for now

The global sales slump finally has caught up with high-flying Bentley Motors.

Volkswagen AG's British superluxury brand has enjoyed a terrific decade, but its rapid growth has come to a screeching halt this year.

Sales in 2008 will decline about 30 percent both worldwide and in the United States, said Stuart McCullough, Bentley's board member for worldwide sales and marketing.

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, McCullough said he expects Bentley's global sales to fall to about 7,000 units this year from 10,014 in 2007. And he said North American sales will skid to about 3,000 from 4,290 last year. Through October, U.S. sales were down 30.1 percent to 2,333.

Bentley, which has 37 U.S. dealers, has almost three months of inventory in the United States but does not want to pile on incentives, McCullough said.

"We're not putting on dealer cash or cash for retailing, but we're helping fund dealer stock levels," he said.

If a dealer is considerably above normal inventory levels, McCullough said, Bentley provides financial assistance.

Bentley cut production 15 percent this year. "We saw the cascade coming," McCullough said.

At the Los Angeles show, Bentley rolled out a special edition of its Azure — the 500-hp Azure T. The Azure T will be priced about $50,000 above the standard open-top Azure, which starts at $342,495 including shipping.

Only 400 will be produced, with about 100 coming to the United States. The U.S. debut is expected next summer.

Aston Martin One-77

Sneaky Paris reveal gives us a hint of what Aston has in store

We've already seen murky pictures of the million pound Aston Martin, but now the company is wheeling out the real thing - albeit with an inconvenient sheet across most of it.

This is our first glimpse at the One-77, although the idea is that those wealthy enough to buy one will be able to tweak and specify a lot of the car themselves - meaning the slight bits of car we see here may not be standard items, or they could be the base that customers have to work with.

It has also been confirmed the One-77 has a sophisticated carbon fibre chassis, handcrafted aluminium body and a stonking 7.3-litre V12 under the bonnet. 'Exhilarating performance' is promised by Aston in 'the ultimate creative interpretation of the renowned British marque'. Consider us teased. Are you? And would you splash out the best part of a big lottery win solely on a car? Wing your way to the forum and reveal all.

MG cancels plans to bring TF to North America

MG's plans to return to North America with a revamped version of the TF roadster are dead. Again.

"The U.S.A. isn't on the short-term radar as an anticipated market for us, but with the right product, it would be good to return there," Gary Hagen, marketing director of NAC MG, told a reporter for the British Web site Austin Rover Online.

Hagen also confirmed that plans to build MGs in Oklahoma from kits shipped from China also have been killed.

Not long after China's Nanjing Automobile Group Corp. bought most of the remains of MG Rover in September 2005, the company told of plans to set up an r&d center and factory in Ardmore, Okla.

"The deal fell through," Hagen told Austin Rover Online.

This month, production of 500 MG TFs started in MG Rover's old Longbridge, England plant. The cars will be sold in Great Britain and are a run-up to a restart of regular production of the two-seat roadster.

Nanjing has since been taken over by larger rival Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., or SAIC.

Although MGs were last sold in the United States in 1980, the iconic British sports car retains a large and loyal following here. Numerous attempts to return MG to the United States have been hatched over the years, but none has come to fruition.

NAC MG plans to replace the TF with a roadster and several sporty sedans in the coming years.