The latest version of Microsoft Office is coming soon, and many of you may be wondering what changes to expect. How is it different from Office 2010? And what is Office 365?

If you have those questions, read on. Here’s a brief understanding of the different options.

Microsoft Office 2010 vs. Microsoft Office 2013

Office 2013 includes all the standard Office programs and capabilities seen in previous versions of Office, as well as a variety of new features that make for a better user experience. Below is a glimpse of some of the new features of Office 2013, along with a few of the differences between Office 2013 and Office 2010:

• One of the first things you’ll notice about Office 2013 is a refreshed interface. The new look falls in line with the “Modern” interface of Windows 8, featuring a minimalistic appearance that PCWorld suggests will be less of a distraction to users.
• You’ll see a much more touch-friendly version, allowing you to scroll through items by swiping your finger across the screen. And you can switch to a traditional navigation when you’re using a desktop without a touchscreen monitor.
• SkyDrive and SharePoint have been integrated for you to more easily access documents stored online from any location.
•  PDF Editing is another new feature of Office 2013. PDF files can be opened and edited in Word 2013, and then saved as either DocX files or as PDFs.
• Excel 2013 has the ability to support multiple monitors, unlike Excel 2010.
• While the Ribbon hasn’t changed too much in functionality, its appearance in Office 2013 has changed slightly. Information Week describes it as being flatter than the 2010 version of the Ribbon. Office 2013 also includes an option to make it more compatible with touchscreens for tablet use.

Microsoft Office 365

While Office 2010 and 2013 must be installed onto a desktop or laptop computer, Office 365 is an online service to which users must subscribe. Instead of purchasing boxed copies or online downloads, users can purchase an Office 365 subscription which provides all the core Office applications, as well as email, shared calendars, public websites for businesses, and internal sites for teams. Those with Office 2010 already installed on their computer can configure the program to work with Office 365 and have the ability to retrieve, edit and save Office documents in the Office 365 cloud. Users can also complete tasks such as co-authoring documents in real-time or begin PC-to-PC calls. Office 365 is compatible with Office 2007 and newer versions.

To learn more about what’s coming in Office 2013, register for our webinar on November 13 for a demonstration of major new features within each application. Visit our website or contact us for more information.

Image from InformationWeek.com