Instead, everything is minimalist, flat, and stark-mimicking the tiles on the Windows 8 start screen. The only hint of frivolity exists in a watermark design in the top right corner of the screen. Gone are the multiple shades of color that decorated the older interface, as well as the shadows and shading that suggested three dimensions. In keeping with the “Modern” (previously called “Metro”) style interface that you’ll see in Windows 8, Office 2013 is getting a new look. Should you be planning to upgrade? Based on my experiences so far with the previews of the new Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, ten features make the move worthwhile. A consumer preview of the subscription-based Office has been available in preview mode for public download since mid-July Though the software shipped to manufacturers this month, the final edition won’t reach customers until sometime in the first half of 2013. You’ll be able to get Office 2013 desktop software on its own (as usual) or as part of an Office 365 subscription that’s newly open to consumers, and not just to small businesses. Changes include a sleek appearance that reflects the look of Windows 8, functional improvements, and tie-ins to SharePoint and SkyDrive for storing documents online. In addition, the various components of Office Web Apps improve productivity in the cloud, while Windows 8 Surface RT tablets get their own flavor of Office. This is a heady time for Microsoft as it rolls out an ambitious OS and polishes off its productivity suite, billed as “the new Office.” At the suite’s core is Office 2013-the desktop applications.

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