REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 20, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the release of Microsoft® Works Suite 2000, the newest version of the company’s home productivity software suite. Works Suite 2000 is an integrated software package that helps consumers complete all of their home projects, from writing a school report or creating a family newsletter to planning a family vacation or helping with the neighborhood yard sale. Its redesigned Task Launcher helps consumers access a broad range of applications quickly and easily, including Works 2000*, Word 2000, Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 Standard, Money 2000 Standard, Home Publishing 2000, Expedia Streets & Trips 2000 and Picture It! Express 2000.
“Consumers today rely on their home PCs to accomplish many different tasks,”
said Robert Bach, vice president, Home and Retail Division, Microsoft.
“That is why it is so important to build a software library that works for the entire family, but does not break the bank. Works Suite 2000 makes it easy to complete a wide variety of tasks and is available at an unbeatable price.”
Designed for the Ways People Use Their Home PCs
The completely redesigned Task Launcher helps consumers quickly and easily complete their home tasks. Consumers can get started on new documents and easily access the documents they have created in the past.
“With the new Task Launcher, consumers can focus on the task at hand and don’t need to worry about which product they should use,”
said Hillarie Flood, Works product manager.
“They simply select the task they want to complete, and the Task Launcher does the rest. It picks the best program for the job and even provides templates or wizards to help users get started.”
Works Suite 2000 features a broad range of products so that everyone in the family can complete their home computing projects:
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Microsoft Works 2000 contains a spreadsheet, database, calendar and address book – perfect for busy families that want to organize their lives.
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Microsoft Word 2000, the world’s best-selling word processor, provides home users with the ability to write letters and reports and even to save documents as a Web page.
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Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 Standard, a multimedia encyclopedia, allows consumers to research topics from more than 36,000 articles. Animations and videos make research and learning fun.
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Microsoft Money 2000 Standard is a comprehensive and easy-to-use personal finance software program. With Money, consumers can do it all, from balancing their checkbook to paying household bills to tracking investments on the Internet.
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Microsoft Home Publishing 2000 makes it easy for consumers to create one-of-a-kind print and Web projects such as greeting cards, newsletters, personal Web pages and animated e-mail greetings.
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Expedia Streets & Trips 2000 is a complete mapping program that includes maps covering 6 million miles of roads and more than 10,000 Web links to help consumers reach their destination quickly and easily.
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Picture It! Express 2000 allows consumers to enhance their photos by removing red-eye and discoloration.
Pricing and Availability of Works Products
Works 2000 has an estimated retail price of $54.95 (U.S.). Works Suite 2000 has an estimated retail price of $109 (U.S.). Both products are scheduled to be available in late September. Customers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/works/ for more information about Works 2000 and Works Suite 2000.
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.
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