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Microsoft has recognised that not everyone is ready to move to cloud and as head of Microsoft, Jared Spataro explained, “ It’s just a matter of trying to meet customers where they are.” The key differential here is the re-introduction of the one-time payment model. Initial updates will include enhanced accessibility features and performance improvements across Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but there isn’t expected to be any major UI changes apart from a new ‘Dark Mode’ feature. One-time payment modelĪs mentioned already Office 2021 will have two versions, one for consumer use and the other for commercial users. So while Microsoft 365 will remain its main focus, Office 2021 will be released in a one-time purchase model for those who are not yet ready to move to the cloud. But we also know that some customers just feel that they can’t move to the cloud despite the widely embraced benefits.” We’ve seen incredible cloud adoption across every industry, and we will continue to invest and innovate in the cloud as we partner with organizations everywhere to build the best solutions for the new world of work.
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Overwhelmingly, our customers are choosing the cloud to empower their people-from frontline workers on the shop floor, to on-the-go sales teams, to remote employees connecting from home. Office 2021 will be available for both Windows and macOS, and similar to the previous Office 2019 release, it is designed primarily for those who don’t want to subscribe to the cloud-powered Microsoft 365 variants.Īt the time, Microsoft officials said that “at Microsoft, we believe that the cloud will power the work of the future. This is to be released in two forms: a consumer Office 2021 version for personal or small business use and Office LTSC (Long Term Servicing Channel) for professional and commercial users. In 2020, Microsoft announced its plans to release a new version of Microsoft Office in 2021, aptly named Office 2021.
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