It certainly depends on which version you’re talking about, but when competitors are offering relatively functional office suites that effectively do the same job, letting you create documents, calculate spreadsheets, prepare presentations and more, at sub $100 prices, or even free of charge, Office 2007 needs to be something special to compete.

This is where Microsoft believe they hold the upper hand. With a totally re-designed and even dramatically simplified interface, especially if you’re looking to use Office’s more advanced features, it’s clear that Microsoft have drawn a line in the sand, and have poured millions of dollars into making sure their product is very different from everyone else’s.

I have to profess liking Office 2007 a lot. The dynamic ribbon toolbar is a true improvement over the standard ‘file, edit, view’ toolbars of the past. It looks very modern, and even in the beta version, it performs quite powerfully. It certainly does make all of the competing office suites look very 80’s and 90’s in comparison. It’s an interface I’d love to see the competition copy.

But it’s a bit like the whole question of upgrading to Windows Vista. I’m very enamoured of the new operating system, and am using Vista and Office 2007 now. But realisitically, do Vista and Office let me do anything different to XP or Office 2003?

For everyday uses, the answer is no. Were I stuck in a world of Windows XP and Office 2003, with Firefox as my browser instead of IE 7, I’d be able to do everything I do today. But there are plenty of ‘little things’ in Office 2007 that I do like, things that office clones don’t have. Little usability things that the cloners are still figuring out how to copy. 

The thing is, human beings like new stuff, and I’m no different. As with every new iPod that comes out, people want the latest, whether they really need it or not. And nothing screams out ‘the latest’ like Vista and Office 2007, running on a dual core tablet PC, with wireless broadband connecting you to the world.

I would never go back to the old operating system, old office software, old browsers, or even an old iPod. Not unless I was absolutely forced to do so, and I don’t see any such forcing coming my way anytime soon.

No doubt Microsoft is counting on this to some degree in its quest to sell more copies of Vista and Office 2007. If you want quality (and yes, some will laugh at that with the word Microsoft in the same sentence), you want Microsoft’s software, not some poxy Office clone.

So let’s just put it this way... if Office 2007 was never released, and Open Office was it, well, I’d adjust pretty quickly and that would be that. But that’s not going to happen – I’ll be a very happy Office 2007 user. It’s simply very clear that not everyone is going to have the same viewpoint as me.

For many, a free or very inexpensive office suite will do the job. Especially if finances are tight. A shiny new Office can wait. But for plenty of people, Office 2007 will be their new reality.

So, what are the new prices for Office 2007?