<p>Microsoft this week reached another Windows 8-related milestone. The company's updated productivity suite, Office 2013, has now been released to manufacturers.</p><p>"This milestone means the coding and testing phase of the project is complete and we are now focused on releasing the new Office via multiple distribution channels to our consumer and business customers," Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Office division, wrote in a blog post.</p><p>General availability is set for the first quarter of 2013, but those who purchase Office 2010 from local retailers starting Oct. 19 will get the Office 2013 upgrade for free once it's released. A preview version of the Office 2013 software, meanwhile, will be available on the Windows RT devices making their debut with Windows 8 on Oct. 26. For more on that, see Hands On: Microsoft Office 2013 on Samsung's Windows RT Tablet.</p><p>Certain business customers will get early access so they can start testing it out within their organizations, Koenigsbauer said.</p><p><a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2410926,00.asp">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Office-360-Office-2013-RTM-Windows-8-Windows-RT,18368.html">Microsoft Office 360 Finally Hits RTM Milestone</a> (Tom's Hardware Guide)</p><p><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2012/10/microsoft-ships-office-to-manufacturing-only-developers-can-expect-it-for-christmas.php">Wishing For MS Office This Christmas? Few Have Been That Good</a> (ReadWriteWeb)</p><p><a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9232310/New_Microsoft_Office_hits_39_RTM_39_milestone">New Microsoft Office hits 'RTM' milestone</a> (Computerworld)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=djolSFitPthBBQMps8VHh7exXdo-M&ned=us">234 additional articles.</a></p>