The new flat-price version of its Office productivity software began rolling out on October 5th—the same day as Windows 11. The company had previously emphasized that while its main focus remains on its Microsoft 365 subscription offering, it will release a one-time purchase of Office 2021 for those who aren't yet ready to move to the cloud.
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Office 2021 is available in two editions: one for commercial users called Office LTSC and one for personal use. Office LTSC includes improved accessibility features, performance improvements in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and visual improvements such as dark mode support in apps. It is intended for specialized situations, such as process control devices in the construction site that are not connected to the Internet, as opposed to entire organizations.
Meanwhile, Office 2021 for personal includes some Google Doc-style collaboration features that allow for real-time collaboration via OneDrive. Office 2021 users can also access Microsoft Teams, a redesigned look and feel for apps and features that were previously exclusive to Microsoft 365, such as advanced grammar suggestions and Presenter Coach in PowerPoint.
Office Home and Student 2021 costs $150. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Microsoft Teams for PC and Mac. Office Home and Business comes with everything from Office Home and Student, plus Outlook for PC and Mac, plus the rights to use the apps for business purposes. Office Home and Business costs $250.
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Both versions of Office will be supported on Windows and Mac and will ship with the OneNote. Microsoft will also ship 32-bit and 64-bit versions, according to the publication, supporting the software for five years. The company said it has no plans to change the price.
In April 2020, Microsoft transitioned Office 365 to Microsoft 365, a subscription service that added features to the suite of tools but required a monthly payment — $7 for an individual plan or $10 for a family of up to six people. (Note: This price will increase in March 2022.) The company said its primary focus will continue to be on the cloud, but it understands that not everyone is ready to take that step. While you can use free Microsoft 365 apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel with limited functionality, you’ll need either a perpetual version or a subscription to take full advantage of their features.
Information source: cnet.com
