Recap: It’s been over 30 years since Redmond released the first version of Microsoft Office. The long-running suite of productivity programs, which has helped users create countless essays, spreadsheets and presentations, is arguably the company’s most recognizable software brand outside of Windows. Soon, it’ll be a distant memory as Microsoft marches forward with its Office rebranding effort.
From November, Office.com will redirect to Microsoft365.com complete with a new icon, a new look and fresh features. The Office mobile app and the Office app on Windows will get the same treatment starting in January 2023, and they’ll apply to everyone that uses Office apps for work, school or personal use.
Microsoft said the transition to Microsoft 365 branding will not impact existing accounts, profiles, subscriptions or files. The changes will happen automatically, we’re told.
It’s worth clarifying that staples like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook aren’t going away entirely. They are simply being rolled into Microsoft 365. “We will also continue to offer one-time purchases of those apps to consumers and businesses via Office 2021 and Office LTSC plans,” Microsoft added.
New features destined for the Microsoft 365 app include a new way to group and organize content using custom tags, a content feed populated with information about who you work with and what you work on and new content creation templates.
The news comes on the heels of Microsoft’s Surface hardware event where Redmond introduced the Surface Pro 9 2-in-1, the Surface Laptop 5 and an updated Surface Studio 2+ with RTX 3060 graphics. Microsoft also announced that its new set of PC accessibility adapters will be available starting October 25.
While on the subject, there’s still time to pick up an Office Professional 2021 license outright for just $35.99. That’s an incredible 89 percent off the regular price – a flat out steal for a lifetime license that grants full access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher and Access. Software license keys and download links are available instantly after purchase.
The offer is only valid for three more days so if you’re interested, be sure to grab it ASAP.
