Tech Search

Well, unless you didn't rush out to buy Office 2007 when that sometimes-refreshing, sometimes-irritating release replaced Office 2003---which itself wasn't the most exciting update ever. Or if you don't remember what version of Office you run today. Or if you've already switched to a competing program, such as Google's free, Web-based Google Docs or the free, open-source OpenOffice.org.

More so than in earlier Office debuts, Microsoft has a tricky job arguing this update's relevance. For one thing, Microsoft took some of the wind out of its own sails by shipping a set of free Web productivity programs, the disappointing Office Web Apps, last week. For another, even by the standards of past Office updates, Office 2010 looks remarkably like its predecessor.

The screenshot above shows the 2007 and 2010 versions of the three oldest Office applications--Word, Excel and PowerPoint--stacked to show their "ribbon" toolbars. Aside from 2010's use of a light-gray background and its replacement of 2007's "Office Button" with a more-standard File menu, not much visibly distinguishes the old from the new.

Now, that one illustration conveys neither the extent of the changes in Office 2010--for Microsoft's view, see such PR handouts as its "Top 7 Reasons to Try Office 2010"--nor my overall evaluation of the product (you'll have to wait until Friday to see that) but it does illustrate the marketing problems Microsoft faces.