Microsoft Announces New Version of The Microsoft Office to Include
Best-selling Database 

New Version of The Microsoft Office to Combine Best-selling Desktop
Applications in One Integrated Package

SAN FRANCISCO--May 4, 1993--Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates announced
today that Microsoft Corporation will ship a new edition of The Microsoft
Office that will include Microsoft Access, the phenomenally successful
relational database management system for the Microsoft Windows operating
system, beginning in early June 1993. The Microsoft Office with Microsoft
Access edition will be available in addition to the current version of The
Microsoft Office, the best-selling set of desktop productivity
applications. Gates made the announcement as part of his keynote speech to
1,500 database developers at DB/EXPO in San Francisco, Calif.

Since its release in November, the Microsoft Access database has sold
nearly 800.000 copies and has vaulted into the number-one spot in the PC
database category. Over the past two years, The Microsoft Office has been
climbing the sales charts, appearing regularly in the top 10 on industry
best-seller lists from resellers such as Ingram Micro and Merisel, and has
become a more significant part of the overall applications business at
Microsoft. Company officials estimate that more than half the sales of
Microsoft Excel and Word, the company's two leading applications, will be
through The Microsoft Office by the end of 1993.

"The release of Microsoft Access last winter caused a fundamental shift in
the PC database market" said Gates. "Its appeal was not just to
traditional database developers and users, but to a new category of users
who want easy-to-use database functionality that integrates well with
their other desktop applications."

"Adding Microsoft Access to The Microsoft Office offering is a natural,"
said Pete Higgins, senior vice president of desktop applications at
Microsoft. "The number-one request from our Office customers has been to
add a database. People want to work with data on their desktops, and
Microsoft Access is a great fit with Microsoft Excel and Word."

The Microsoft Office with Microsoft Access edition will contain the
following applications: Microsoft Access relational database management
system (DBMS) version 1.1, 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 license for the Microsoft
Mail e-mail package version 3.2 (server software available separately).

One reason for the tremendous success of The Microsoft Office has been the
popularity of the Microsoft Windows operating system. With more than 25
million units sold, Microsoft Windows is the best-selling operating
system. Increasingly, users of Microsoft Windows are using multiple
applications for cross-application tasks such as producing a report that
combines text, data and graphics. A recent study by InfoCorp, an industry
research firm, reported that the typical user of Microsoft Windows has an
average of 7.9 applications.

Microsoft internal data shows that more than 89 percent of its Fortune 500
customers have acquired The Microsoft Office in quantities ranging from a
few hundred to several thousand copies. Several of these customers have
taken advantage of the flexible options for volume-based licensing
available through the Microsoft Select program, which makes it easier for
large and multinational organizations to acquire licenses, upgrades and
maintenance for The Microsoft Office and other Microsoft products.
Industry data also shows a tremendous rate of multiple-application use
among database, word processing and spreadsheet users; among licensed
users of Microsoft Access, 70 percent are licensed users of either Word or
Microsoft Excel.

Corporate Customers Praise The Microsoft Office

"The Microsoft Office has been the foundation of our desktop computing
solution for two years. ' said Michael Chang, manager of office/decision
support systems at Nissan Motor Corporation. "Adding Microsoft Access to
this set of software will make The Microsoft Office by far the most
complete software solution on the market."

"We believe that Microsoft has produced a good blend of applications by
incorporating Microsoft Access into The Microsoft Office," said Art
Beckman, manager of the client support services department at Pacific Gas
& Electric. "Microsoft Access is a good, solid database that offers
user-friendly functionality that is easy to integrate into our already
strong set of Microsoft applications software at PG&E. The Microsoft
Office provides a computing solution that increases worker productivity
and reduces development costs."

"Microsoft is the leader in providing easy-to-use applications that
integrate well together. Now with the inclusion of Microsoft Access, The
Microsoft Office becomes an even stronger set of business productivity
tools," said Walt Corbitt, chief of information systems, State of Alabama
Department of Environmental Management. "The Microsoft Office and
Microsoft Access are a perfect match for our work."

"The Microsoft Office is the best all-in-one solution for the desktop. The
software set provides everything our team needs for typical end-user
tasks," said Richard Boone, manager of technical services at King County
Medical Blue Shield. "Now with Microsoft Access, we can take advantage of
advanced database technology like Query Tool, Cue Cards and Wizards. The
new version of Microsoft Office makes what was great, even 'better."

Specific Product Features 
Microsoft Access 1.1

Microsoft Access 1.1 is a planned update to the currently shipping
Microsoft Access 1.0. It includes expanded database connectivity,
including direct connection to the Microsoft FoxPro database versions 2.0
and 2.5, and connection to ORACLE and Sybase SQL Server via open database
connectivity (ODBC); larger maximum database size (one gigabyte); and
improved integration with Microsoft Excel and Word.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word, the leading full-featured word processor for Windows, now
has more than 4.5 million users worldwide. Dataquest, Inc. recently
reported that based on unit market share, Microsoft has become the top
word processing company worldwide.

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft recently announced that there are more than 4 million users of
Microsoft Excel for Windows worldwide, of which more than 1 million are
users who switched from Lotus 1-2-3.

Microsoft PowerPoint

Sales of Microsoft PowerPoint, the easiest way for business people to turn
ideas into great presentations, have grown dramatically since Microsoft
shipped version 3.0. PowerPoint now has more than 1.75 million users
worldwide.

Microsoft Mail

Microsoft has shipped more than 2 million workstation licenses worldwide of
Microsoft Mail, the company's robust e-mail package. Since August 1992,
Microsoft Mail has been averaging sales of more than 75,000 licenses per
month.

Pricing and Availability

The suggested retail price for The Microsoft Office with Microsoft Access
edition is $949. It is scheduled to ship in early June. The suggested
retail price (SRP) for The Microsoft Office for Windows is $750. The
Microsoft Office is also available for the Macintosh platform at an SRP of
$750. For more information, call (800) 426-9400.

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: 206-93MSFAX

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