Office 2007 Beta 2 Download Soars, Microsoft Decides to Charge

July 29 foreign media report, Microsoft plans to charge a small fee for the second beta version of Office 2007 starting next week. This move goes against the practices of many software manufacturers.

According to CNET News.com, a Microsoft spokesperson stated that starting at 6 PM Pacific Standard Time next Wednesday, consumers downloading the second beta version of Microsoft Office 2007 will be charged $1.50 per download.

The Microsoft spokesperson mentioned that since the end of May, downloads of the second beta version of Office 2007 have exceeded 3 million, surpassing our expected numbers by over 500%. Charging this fee will help offset the costs associated with downloading from servers.

The Microsoft spokesperson also noted that while the Microsoft Information Worker Product Management Division has decided to charge new users for the second beta version of Office 2007, "technical upgrades" for current users of this software will remain free.

Those who wish to test the second beta version of Office 2007 to check its functionality can use the software for free. However, if they want to test it on their internal systems, they will need to download it or require a CD.

The Microsoft spokesperson stated that this is the first time Microsoft has charged for a beta version of Office software. Microsoft does not intend to continue with this charging practice in the future. (c002)