Microsoft Office Is Retiring After 30 Years of Service. Behold ‘Microsoft 365’ - Gizmodo

After inhabiting our vocabulary and our devices for much than 30 years, “Microsoft Office” is retiring. That doesn’t mean apps similar Word and Excel are going away, but alternatively that the company’s suite of tools is taking connected a new, somewhat acquainted name: Microsoft 365.

Microsoft announced the change astatine its Ignite league connected Wednesday. Over the adjacent fewer months, Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows volition follow the Microsoft 365 branding and get caller looks and icons. Microsoft 365 is precise akin to Microsoft Office, though determination are key differences. The biggest of these is price—Microsoft 365 is simply a monthly subscription work and Microsoft Office is simply a one-time purchase—and entree to upgrades. People that subscribe to Microsoft 365 person the latest updates included successful their plan, portion those with Microsoft Office person to bargain the latest mentation of the software.

Microsoft Office was first released successful 1990—going done galore renovations implicit the years—and has managed to stay ascendant the tract of workplace software. Now that it’s retiring, a portion of maine wants to play a melancholy violin solo, adjacent though I deliberation the caller purple Microsoft 365 app logo is truly pretty.

For those that don’t privation to accidental goodbye, Microsoft said it volition inactive connection one-time purchases of apps similar Word, Outlook, and Excel for Office 2021 users and Office LTSC plans. I conjecture that’s what status means astatine Microsoft.

At the event, Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s firm vice president for modern work, besides revealed that the Microsoft 365 app volition travel with a spate of caller features. It volition enactment arsenic a hub for each idiosyncratic files crossed the company’s products, specified arsenic Word and PowerPoint, and volition besides let folks to rapidly entree files shared successful meetings.

Furthermore, the Microsoft exec added that the institution was launching a provender successful the Microsoft 365 app, which volition let users to spot things specified arsenic their meetings of the time oregon updates from radical they follow, successful a motion to societal media feeds.

“The caller Microsoft 365 app is 1 portion of our larger strategy and absorption arsenic a institution connected Microsoft 365 and is reflective of the innovation we’ve strived to present arsenic enactment and beingness proceed to evolve,” Spataro said successful an emailed statement. “The caller app serves arsenic a hub for each the productivity apps Microsoft 365 offers and provides a simple, yet almighty acquisition for our customers arsenic they navigate changing workstyles and collaboration patterns.”

Microsoft 365 volition commencement rolling retired to users successful November, opening with Office.com, according to Microsoft’s FAQ page. Meanwhile, changes volition travel to the Office app for Windows and mobile successful January 2023.

Microsoft explained that the changes volition use to everyone who uses the Office app for work, school, oregon idiosyncratic use, AKA astir everyone. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you person to bash thing oregon that thing volition digitally detonate connected your end.

“There volition beryllium nary interaction to your existing account, profile, subscription, oregon files. The app volition update automatically with a caller icon and name, truthful support an oculus retired for those changes successful November and beyond,” the institution stated connected the FAQ page.