Microsoft Office Starter 2010, a new base productivity suite that replaces Microsoft Works, consists of limited-functionality versions of Word and Excel and includes advertising. It does not include PowerPoint or Outlook.

Office Starter 2010 is available only on new PCs in conjunction with preloaded Office 2010 suites and is designed for home users who are not ready to buy a full version of Office 2010. It allows users to upgrade easily to a complete Office 2010 suite whenever they are ready.

To learn more about Office Starter 2010 features, review Microsoft Office Starter 2010 Customer Experience Walkthrough. .pptx 4.8 MB

Office Starter 2010 is not a trial–it has a perpetual license that does not expire. Office Starter 2010 is an advertising-supported base productivity suite that is available only on new PCs. It must be preloaded on new PCs at the point of manufacture. Office Starter 2010 is not available for existing PCs at any time after manufacture; for example, Office Starter 2010 cannot be installed on new PCs being sold by resellers, even brand-new PCs. It will not be sold through distribution or available to end users as a standalone product.

To learn more about how to purchase and distribute Office Starter 2010 licenses, visit the worldwide OPC Office 2010 Licensing page.

Return to top

Office Starter 2010 will help drive demand for Office with exposure, usage, and availability. It will help drive demand for Office by bringing non-buyers of a full Office suite into the Office 2010 community, where they can become familiar with the Office experience. Office Starter 2010 will also provide end users with the opportunity to purchase a full suite when they are ready.

As a system builder, preloading Office Starter 2010 will increase the appeal of your PCs, and will help you remain competitive with other OEMs who will be preloading Office Starter 2010 on most of their PCs.

Important: Preloading Office Starter 2010 does not take away the flexibility of selling a full Office suite. You always make more revenue by selling a full Office 2010 suite with the PC, even when it is preloaded with Office Starter 2010.

Return to top

Office Starter 2010 is designed for a very specific set of customers: home users who are not yet ready to buy a full Office 2010 suite. It is also a great option for customers currently using a free alternative, but who would really prefer the genuine Office experience.

Office Starter 2010 will not meet the needs of most businesses or people who are already familiar with Office. Therefore, it is in your best interest to make sure that Office Starter 2010 is positioned correctly to avoid customer confusion.

Return to top

There are several guidelines and key points about Office Starter 2010 to keep in mind.

First, keep your focus on the full Office suites, not on Office Starter 2010. Microsoft research shows that leading with Office Starter 2010 will make sales conversations longer and more difficult, and will result in fewer people purchasing a full Office suite. That means less revenue for you. The best time to sell Office is with a new PC, so always remember to ask, "Would you like Office with that?"

What end users can do with Office Starter 2010

• Create and edit basic Word documents and Excel spreadsheets with 100 percent file fidelity
• Open existing Word and Excel documents
• Manage a simple home budget
• Write letters
• Create newsletters with photos and easily send them out

What end users cannot do with Office Starter 2010

• Create PowerPoint presentations
• Manage email with Outlook
• Organize notes, media, and project resources in one place using Microsoft OneNote
• Add comments or track changes to documents
• Analyze data with pivot tables
• Enhance documents with SmartArt graphics
• Automate and accelerate repetitive tasks using programmable macros
• Customize the quick access toolbar
• Connect to an external data source in Excel
• Create a report with a table of contents, footnotes, and bibliographies
• Turn off the advertisements

This is just a partial list of the functionality missing from Office Starter 2010. However, end users can activate the missing functionality by purchasing a Product Key Card for an appropriate full Office suite.

Return to top

Most customers who purchase a PC install a full Office suite on it within two weeks. Focusing on the full Office suites also helps avoid dissatisfaction from customers expecting a full Office suite or from business users who miss the functionality of the full Office suites.

Incorrect messaging of Office Starter 2010 may discourage your customers from purchasing a full Office suite and could also lead to customer dissatisfaction and confusion. Market research shows that many people confused Office Starter 2010 with a full Office suite, and were then dissatisfied because they believed they had received a full Office suite. Consequently, there are strict rules that govern how Office Starter 2010 may be marketed.

Some of the Office Starter 2010 Marketing Restrictions and best practices are described below:

• The emphasis of any end user advertising should never be on Office Starter 2010. While this might seem surprising at first, research shows that advertising or promoting Office Starter 2010 will distract your customers and deter them from purchasing a full Office suite.
• Instead of focusing on Office Starter 2010, focus your messaging on the fact that the PC has been preloaded with Office 2010, and is ready for activation with the purchase of a Product Key Card or Traditional Disc.
• All of the following professionally written phrases can be used to describe preloaded PCs and have been shown to boost sales of full Office suites:

  Phrases to Describe Preloaded PCs
  Purchase Office Product Key Card to activate Office 2010 preloaded on this PC.
  Purchase an Office 2010 Product Key Card or Traditional Disc (FPP) to activate preloaded software on this PC.
  This PC is optimized for Microsoft® Office 2010. Purchase a Product Key Card or Traditional Disc (FPP) to activate full-featured Office software preloaded on this PC.

  Each of these phrases tested positively.
• If directly referenced in marketing materials, Office Starter 2010 must always be referenced by its full name, "Office Starter 2010," or "Word Starter 2010 and Excel Starter 2010." It may not be referenced by the names "Office" or "Office 2010."
• If you use "Office Starter 2010" or "Word Starter 2010 and Excel Starter 2010" in your marketing materials, you must also include the following statement:

  "This PC is preloaded with reduced-functionality versions of Word and Excel that include advertising. It does not include PowerPoint or Outlook. Purchase an Office 2010 Product Key to activate the full-featured Office software on this PC."

  This message must be conspicuous and in close proximity to "Office Starter 2010."
• Office Starter 2010 may not be advertised or sold as a standalone product separate from a customer system.
• You are encouraged to provide any of the following verbatim notices in technical specifications on customer systems:
  • Office 2010 Preloaded; Purchase Key.
  • Office 2010 preloaded; purchase product key to activate.
• You may not authorize your distribution channel or retail partners to refer to Office Starter 2010 in their marketing materials except as described in the System Builder License (and as described above).
• To ensure a strong customer understanding of Office Starter 2010 and to maximize your sales of full Office suites, it is important to communicate these four key points about Office Starter 2010 any time it is discussed:
  1. Limited-functionality versions of Word and Excel
  2. No PowerPoint, Outlook, or OneNote
  3. Includes advertising
  4. Purchase Product Key to activate full-featured Office software
  Communicating all of these four key points helps your customers understand what Office Starter 2010 is and will encourage them to purchase a full Office suite.