For those still wondering whether to choose Microsoft's traditional Office productivity software suite or the new, subscription-based Office 365, consider this: traditional Office users will have to wait for "updates," and they won't receive any new "upgrades" to the service at all. And there's another consideration, too: Office 2013 is apparently locked to a single machine, perpetually, while Office 365 licenses are sold to a group of users, who can license and de-license PCs at will.

These are important considerations for Microsoft Office users. Microsoft is in the middle of its Office 365 launch; Microsoft made the consumer version available on Jan. 29, and the version for small businesses and enterprises will be made available on Feb. 27. Although some consumers may have already made up their mind and opened their wallets, small businesses trying to decide between a traditional Office license and the new Office 365 suite may want to put on the brakes and reconsider their options.

So far, Microsoft has tried a number of strategies to encourage users to sign up for an Office 365 subscription, not the least of which has been pricing. Single consumers will probably gravitate toward the traditional Office 2013 suite, where users can buy a single license of Office 2013 Home & Student for $139.99. In two years, that option will have paid for itself, as Microsoft's Office 365 subscription runs $99.99 per household per year. But for larger households, Office 365 makes more financial sense

Microsoft: Buy Office 365, Not Office 2013. Or You'll Be Sorry