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tjkahn

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 6, 2009
20
0
Chicago, IL
Why is the special media edition cheaper on Amazon than the standard office version? Am I missing something here? Isn't the special media edition the standard version plus some extras? It's only $50 more than the home and student edition. Is it worth it?
 
During the holidays the special media edition could be had for $68 buck or so. If you don't need the extra features then save the $50 otherwise go for it.
 
I don't know why it's cheaper but it sounds like a good deal :)

And, in case you weren't aware: If you work for a company that uses Office via a volume licence then you may be eligible for the Home Use Programme, which gets you the standard edition for a small fee ($20 in NZ).
 
I don't know why it's cheaper but it sounds like a good deal :)

And, in case you weren't aware: If you work for a company that uses Office via a volume licence then you may be eligible for the Home Use Programme, which gets you the standard edition for a small fee ($20 in NZ).

Well, I work for GE so I'm sure we have a volume license - but all PC based. And, we're still running office 2000. How do find out and/or get the discount?
 
That company discount is awesome. I just purchase the whole Office 2008 suite for $19.99. For that price I purchased the Windows version as well.
 
During the holidays the special media edition could be had for $68 buck or so. If you don't need the extra features then save the $50 otherwise go for it.

I would like the exchange support. Is there any reason someone would pay $229 for the standard rather then $158 for the media edition? It just doesn't make sense that they're being sold side-by-side like that. Makes me think there's either a catch or a bug on the media edition. It would be like selling a car with a GPS system cheaper than one without it. Well, not exactly, but you get my point I'm sure.:)
 
Well, I work for GE so I'm sure we have a volume license - but all PC based. And, we're still running office 2000. How do find out and/or get the discount?

If you're eligible then someone in your company should be able to give you a registration code that you can enter into the HUP site.
 
You could also look into university pricing. If you or someone you know works or goes to school at a local university they typically have very good prices.
 
Well, I work for GE so I'm sure we have a volume license - but all PC based. And, we're still running office 2000. How do find out and/or get the discount?

I work for a small company and our volume deal covered my Mac. My IT guy just sent me a code.
 
If you're eligible then someone in your company should be able to give you a registration code that you can enter into the HUP site.

Thanks for posting. I'll check with my IT dept. I'm going to guess I hit a brick wall, but we'll see.

If I do hit the proverbial brick wall - is there any reason NOT to buy the special media edition for $75 less than the standard? It still seems like there's a catch somewhere.
 
Thanks for posting. I'll check with my IT dept. I'm going to guess I hit a brick wall, but we'll see.

If I do hit the proverbial brick wall - is there any reason NOT to buy the special media edition for $75 less than the standard? It still seems like there's a catch somewhere.

Not that I'm aware of (but I've never put my hands on that version). From what I read on Amazon it looks like what I'm using.

I'm not sure how I got the dmg (maybe I got that from my IT guy as well) but it worked.

Then you'll get to deal with all of the idiosyncrasies of the Mac version :)
 
There's no reason to not buy the Standard Media Edition. It's identical to the regular edition, but adds in Microsoft Expression Media. You don't even have to install Expression Media if you don't want to. :)

For those who are at Macworld this week, I noticed that there's a company on the show floor who's selling Standard Media Edition for $114. That's an awesome price!

Regards,
Nadyne.
 
At MWSF '09, today I won the Office: Mac 2008 Special Media Edition for Digital Media Enthusiasts. It included Microsoft Office with MS Expression Media. Basically, updated my Office 2008 Student/Home Edition and added MS Exchange Server Support, Automator Actions for Workflows in MS Office and MS Expressions Media. $117 MWSF '09 $499 Retail, $399 Online, Upgrades are always cheaper...:cool:
 
There's no reason to not buy the Standard Media Edition. It's identical to the regular edition, but adds in Microsoft Expression Media. You don't even have to install Expression Media if you don't want to. :)

For those who are at Macworld this week, I noticed that there's a company on the show floor who's selling Standard Media Edition for $114. That's an awesome price!

Regards,
Nadyne.

Which is why I'm so puzzled. How / why could Amazon or any other retailer sell what essentially the standard edition plus some extras for less (A LOT less) than the standard edition alone? And why would any consumer buy only the standard edition? The business model just makes no sense. I guess I should just shut up and buy the media edition if I need to go that route.

I did, however, talk to my IT guy and he's going to look into getting me a license, either through HUP or just giving one to me, so hopefully the price issue will be moot anyway. Thanks to all for posting that link and providing the advice - will probably save me a nice chunk of cash that I can put towards Apple TV :) (and beers to anyone who helped if you're passing through Chicago).

Thanks again.
 
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