Microsoft Office 2013 will not support Windows XP and Vista

Microsoft has released the system requirements for their upcoming Office 2013 and is giving users of Windows XP another reason to upgrade to Windows 7 or their upcoming Windows 8. The latest release of Office will not support Windows XP or Vista. The systems supported by Office will be Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012.

Some of the other system requirements for Office include at least a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM for the 32-bit version and 2GB for the 64-bit version, at least 3GB of free space in the hard disk and a graphics card that can provide at least a resolution of 1024 x 576.

While the hardware requirements won’t be a problem for most users, the OS requirements may pose a problem. The number of people using Vista has been dropping, most of them probably upgrading to Windows 7 by now. Stats from Net Applications showed Vista’s market share is less than 7 percent in June, and still dropping. But Windows XP is still being used widely, even after more than ten years. Though it looks like Windows 7 will gain the larger market share this year, Windows XP will still hold 40 percent of the market.

The extended technical support for Windows XP will also end by April 2014, which means no more patches or bug fixes. While normal people will be able to upgrade their computers easily, the main problems are faced by businesses, who will have to face the time and resources to upgrade.

Microsoft had announced Office 2013 recently. “We are taking bold steps at Microsoft,” Ballmer said at the press conference in San Francisco. “The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light-up when paired with Windows 8.”

One of the biggest additions to the new version of Office is SkyDrive. Office will save documents to SkyDrive by default, so your content will always be available across your tablet, PC and phone. Your documents will also be available offline and will sync when you reconnect.

Here are some of the subscriptions users can opt for when the new Office comes out:

Office 365 Home Premium — designed for families and consumers. This service also includes an additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage and 60 minutes of Skype world minutes per month.

Office 365 Small Business Premium — designed for small businesses. This service also includes business-grade email, shared calendars, website tools and HD webconferencing.

Office 365 ProPlus — designed for enterprise customers who want advanced business capabilities and the flexibility to deploy and manage in the cloud.