Finally, Microsoft Office 2013 has reached RTM status (Release to Manufacturing). This means, Microsoft top selling software behind Windows is ready and waiting to be shipped to business partners and manufactures.

Office 2013 is the newest in the line of Microsoft Office products, and the first to adopt a subscription model in its pricing. It is also the most ambitious yet - users will be able to edit PDF files and easily access SkyDrive (when compared to Office 2010). Other features include Skype integration, Yammer social network, and an overall easy-to-understand experience.

For those who are interested in the business side of Office, Microsoft is preparing a number of programs for business customers to test. Consider it as a beta test program:

• We will begin rolling out new capabilities to Office 365 Enterprise customers in our next service update, starting in November through general availability.
• Volume Licensing customers with Software Assurance will be able to download the Office 2013 applications as well as other Office products including SharePoint 2013, Lync 2013 and Exchange 2013 through the Volume Licensing Service Center by mid-November. These products will be available on the Volume Licensing price list on December 1.
• IT professionals and developers will be able to download the final version via their TechNet or MSDN subscriptions by mid-November.

Folks who are interested in acquiring Office 2013 will have to wait until the first quarter of 2013, or purchase a Windows 8 RT tablet with a limited feature version of Office 2013 pre-installed. Others can purchase a version of Office 2010 knowing they will get a free upgrade when the new version comes out in 2013.

While Office 2013 will launch in early 2013, Microsoft is preparing the launch of Windows 8 in October, with Windows Phone 8 following in November.