The ‘final’ version of Office 2013 RT edition is now available.
That didn’t take long. Only a few days after the release of Windows RT edition for low power tablets Microsoft has put out the ‘final’ version of the included Office RT software.
Office Home & Student 2013 RT was running a bit late or Windows RT was rushed out before Xmas sales began, depending on your point of view. So Microsoft released their Surface tablet with a ‘Preview’ version of Office RT. ‘Preview’ being a thin euphemism for ‘we need more time to finish’.
Fun as it is to hassle Microsoft about ‘late’ software, it’s better for us to let the developers take more time to nail down as many bugs as they can. That applies especially to Office RT which is not only a new version of Microsoft Office but on a new operating system and underlying chip technology.
It’s those extra complications that makes us use quote marks around ‘final’. We should all hope there is close monitoring of Office RT and appropriate updates issued. After final release, most of the developers are sent to other jobs. Hopefully Microsoft will take a more cautious approach; but don’t bet on it.
We’re a little concerned that Office 2013 RT has been rushed out. When the Preview release was announced we were told that the final version would come out between November 2012 and January 2013. Hopefully there’s not been a rush to release with bugs ignored.
HOW TO UPDATE
If you have a Surface or other Windows RT device, go to Windows Update and check for new updates.
The 586MB download will be installed via Windows Update in the usual way. No reboot was required on our machine.
The version number in the About box is:
MSO (15.0.4220.1017) ARMPart of Microsoft Office 2013 RT
At the same time you might also check the Windows Store for updates. We found 15 updates waiting for us right after unpacking our ‘Surface’ device.
