WordPerfect for schools lures consumers

Software maker Corel announced on Monday that the academic version of its WordPerfect productivity package will be available at general retailers starting July 31. Corel previously had sold that version of the software, intended for use by students and educators, at specialty academic resellers such as campus bookstores. The academic version sells for $99, compared with $320 for the standard version.

The WordPerfect package, which includes a word processor, a spreadsheet application and other programs, competes with Microsoft's Office, which became available in a widespread and heavily discounted academic version last year.