Microsoft Announces Limited-time Upgrade Promotion for The Microsoft Office
Version 3.0 for Windows 

Special Promotion Makes It Easy to Upgrade User Desktops

REDMOND, Wash.--Feb. 22,1993--Microsoft Corporation today announced a
special promotional upgrade edition of The Microsoft Office version 3.0
for Windows, the best-selling business software solution. This promotion
enables users to increase productivity by upgrading from a single
application to a desktop of four programs designed to work together. From
March 1 through June 30,1993, The Microsoft Office, Upgrade Edition will
be offered for a suggested retail price of $569; the suggested retail
price for The Microsoft Office is regularly $750. (Reseller prices may
vary.) A user who has a licensed copy of a qualifying spreadsheet, word
processing, or presentation graphics program for the MS-DOS or Microsoft
Windows operating systems will qualify for The Microsoft Office, Upgrade
Edition. As a benefit to Microsoft customers, users who are upgrading from
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint or previous versions
of The Microsoft Office for Windows qualify for an additional $50 rebate.

The Microsoft Office version 3.0 for Windows contains four leading business
applications, including the Microsoft Word word processing program version
2.0, Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program version 4.0, Microsoft PowerPoint
presentation graphics program version 3.0 and a Microsoft Mail workstation
license version 3.0.

"Until now, most users have been upgrading to applications for Windows one
at a time. With this offer, we wanted to make it easier for users to
upgrade to the full set of leading applications for Windows in one step,"
said Pete Higgins, vice president of desktop applications at Microsoft.

Growing Interest in a Complete Applications Solution

As the move to the Windows operating system has accelerated, users are
increasingly moving from an environment in which they use one application
at a time to an integrated desktop environment in which they use several
programs together to produce a document or accomplish a task. According to
the industry research firm InfoCorp, today's user of Windows currently
utilizes more than seven programs on his or her desktop.

"Concurrent with users' migration to the Windows environment, there has
been a shift in emphasis from productivity tools toward the tasks for
which the tools are being used," said Krystyna Filistowicz, director of
the business applications group at Dataquest, Inc., an industry research
firm. "Users are no longer as concerned with word processors, spreadsheet
programs and presentation graphics programs, they are more concerned with
the "documents" that these tools are being used to produce--the more
integrated the tools, the better the resultant document. The Microsoft
Office addresses both of these dynamics."

Customers Choose The Microsoft Office

The tremendous growth in The Microsoft Office sales over the past year
reflects the growing interest users have for a family of applications that
work well together.

"Sales of The Microsoft Office for Windows have been outstanding. The
product has been a best seller in its category since the product was
released over two and a half years ago," said Nathan Morton, president and
CEO of CompUSA, a leading applications reseller. "With our customers
increasingly asking for a complete applications solution, this upgrade
promotion comes at a perfect time."

Conditions of the Promotion

To qualify for the promotional upgrade, buyers must supply proof of
licensing of a qualifying word processing, spreadsheet or presentation
graphics program. Proof of licensing can be the original setup disk or the
original first page from the program manual. A $50 rebate coupon is
available to licensees of any version of Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint
or previous version of The Microsoft Office for Windows. The Microsoft
Office, Upgrade Edition is available through resellers from March 1
through June 30, 1993. For more information or to find a reseller near
you, please contact Microsoft Customer Service at (800) 228-7007.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of
products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take
advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft Corp, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399
206-882-8080; fax: 206-936-7329

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