As if it werenit easy enough to discover Office v.X already, Microsoft has announced a bundling deal with Apple. The new deal has all new Macs shipping with Office v.X Test Drive preinstalled on the hard drive. The Test Drive version of Office v.X is a 30-day trial of Microsoftis popular office suite. According to Microsoft, all new Macs shipped in 2003 will have the software installed.

In addition to all new Macs shipping with a trial version of Office, new Mac buyers will continue to have the option of purchasing a copy of Office along with their new Macs for US$199, a savings of about US$300. This promotionis expiration date has been extended to April 7, 2002. From Microsoft:

Microsoft announced that North American consumers who buy any new Macintosh computer through April 7, 2003, can acquire Microsoft Office v. X for Mac at the same time for $199.99* (U.S.) or $299* (CDN). Comparable promotions are running in Japan and Australia until April 7, 2003. European and African consumers are eligible to receive a similar offer through April 30, 2003.

:We continuously strive to put the best software in the hands of our Mac users, and theyive told us that promotions such as Office Romance are an incredible offer,: said Tim McDonough, marketing director of the MacBU at Microsoft. :Whether giving Mac users a simple solution to help manage their busy lives with Entourage X, an opportunity to save when they buy a new Mac and Office v. X together, or the ability to test drive the powerful Office suite, weire committed to delivering the most compelling Mac computing experiences in the industry.:

Microsoft also announced today that on all new Macs shipping in 2003, Apple Computer Inc. will preinstall the MacBUis popular Office v. X Test Drive. The 30-day trial software gives Mac OS X customers the opportunity to try all four Office v. X applications -- Word X, Excel X, PowerPoint X and Entourage X -- free. The Office v. X Test Drive preinstall, the latest demonstration of Microsoft and Appleis shared commitment to help Mac customers experience great products, marks the first time Apple has preinstalled an Office Test Drive on its computers.

You can find more information about these promotions at Microsoftis Mactopia site.