After 30 years, Microsoft has made major changes to its Microsoft Office branding. Now the productivity software which contains Word, Excel, PowerPoints, Outlook, Teams and OneDrive will be rebranded as Microsoft 365 starting November 2022.
In fact, this step has started two years ago, where Microsoft changed the name of its Office 365 subscription to Microsoft 365. This also ended its 32-year journey since it was first released in 1990.
In the coming months, Office.com, the Office mobile apps, and the Office for Windows apps will become Microsoft 365 apps, with new icons, a new look, and even more features,” Microsoft said in a statement
Over the next few months, Office.com, the Office mobile apps, and the Office apps for Windows, will begin embracing the Microsoft 365 brand, as well as getting a new icon. The same will also be applied to Microsoft apps on Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS will begin to be replaced in January 2023.
the biggest difference from Microsoft 365 and Office lies in the subscription price alone. Where Microsoft 365 is a monthly subscription service, while Office uses a one-time purchase.
Microsoft 365 Productivity Software
Furthermore, those who are already subscribed to Microsoft 365, will get the latest updates included in their plan. Meanwhile, Microsoft Office users must buy the latest version of the software.
This new app serves as a hub for all the productivity apps Microsoft 365 has to offer and provides a simple yet powerful experience for our customers as they navigate changing work styles and collaboration patterns,” said Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Modern Work, Microsoft.
Despite the name and icon changes, the name of the application has not been overhauled by Microsoft. Jared said, they will continue to offer one-time purchases for applications such as Word, Outlook and Excel for Office 2021 users, as well as the Office LTSC package.
According to him, they will be the hub for all user files across all company products such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, and is claimed to allow users to quickly access files shared in a meeting.
“There will be no impact to existing accounts, profiles, subscriptions or files. Apps will be automatically updated with a new icon and name, so stay tuned for those changes in November and beyond,” wrote Microsoft.
Meanwhile, reported by Engadget , the Microsoft 365 subscription service was launched two years ago, offering access to Office, Teams, and other platforms, which can be obtained with a monthly subscription. This strategy is considered a success, because Microsoft 365 subscribers are reported to continue to grow and have reached 59.7 million.
