Office 365 and the old Office suite?
I still use Office 2007, but now Q that Microsoft no longer supports it, I’m thinking of upgrading. However, I’m confused by the difference between Office 365 and the standard Office suite I’ve been using all these years. It seems I now have to pay monthly to use the latest software. Why do I have to pay ongoing fees for tools I’ve been using for years after an initial purchase? Stephen Downes
First we should point out that, A officially, there is no ‘Office 365’. In the mercurial world of Microsoft marketing, it’s been subsumed into the subscription service the company now calls ‘Microsoft 365’. Microsoft 365 offers a raft of apps and services, including Onedrive online (cloud) storage and access to the desktop and online versions of all the main Office programs. Subscriptions start from £5.99 a month, or £59.99 a year.
Don’t confuse this with the web version of Office ( www.office.com), which until a couple of years ago was called Office Online. Office is the (current) name of a selection of free, online-only Office tools, which you can access if you have a Microsoft account. They’re pretty basic and not particularly good, but we’re simply mentioning them to help you navigate Microsoft’s branding mess.
Then there’s Office 2019, which is a traditional, downloadable version of the suite that you can install on any compatible computer. The company isn’t keen on promoting this option, but it’s available as a one-time purchase from www.snipca.com/38751, with prices starting from £119.99. Microsoft plans to replace it with Office 2021 later this year, but this will also be available as a one-time purchase.
Office 2019 and 2021 are the modern equivalents of what you have now, and are likely to be supported for years to come – probably a decade for Office 2021. However, these versions won’t receive any significant feature updates. Microsoft 365’s features are updated regularly and won’t fall out of support for as long as the company keeps the service alive. However, should you stop paying the subscription fee, you’ll lose access to all tools and services.
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