Microsoft quietly raises prices of Mac Office by up to 17 percent

The move puts Office for Mac 2011 on the same pricing schedule as the new buy office 2013 professional . The price increases and the disappearance of the multi-license bundles also makes Microsoft's Office 365, a software-by-subscription deal the company has aggressively pushed, more competitive with traditional "perpetual" licenses.

It's not clear when Microsoft raised prices. The oldest search engine cache Computerworld found with the new prices was Feb. 2, so the company boosted them before then, likely on Jan. 29, the day it launched Office 2013 and Office 365 Home Premium. Microsoft did not mention the changes to Office for Mac in its press releases that day, or otherwise publicize the move on its Mac-specific website.

The single-license Office for cheap windows 10 pro now costs $140, a 17 percent increase from the previous price of $120. Office for Mac Home amp; Business, an edition that adds the Outlook email client to Home amp; Student's Excel, PowerPoint and Word, runs $220, or 10 percent higher than the older $200 price.

The new prices are identical to those of Office 2013 for Windows, as are the percentage increases.