The first Office applications getting a Windows 8 revamping in the Metro style are OneNote, which is for taking notes, and Lync, which includes IM/presence, Web meetings, video conferencing and audio communications capabilities.

The local version of Office will ship bundled with devices running Windows RT, the Windows 8 version for ARM-based machines, including Microsoft's own Surface tablet. That Office suite will include Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

This version for Windows RT devices will be called Office Home and Student 2013 RT.

The cloud-based versions of Office will be licensed on a subscription basis, while the versions that will be installed locally on machines will be sold in the traditional perpetual license model.

Asked to clarify the branding of this new wave of Office products, a spokeswoman for Microsoft said via email that "Office 365 is our services brand" that refers to cloud suites that are updated continuously, while "Office suites, such as Office Home and Student 2013, are designated by a year model and are current as of that year model."