Microsoft has revealed a number of important details about the new version of Office coming out later this year. Among these, a particularly pleasing announcement for those who do not wish to subscribe to a recurring subscription.
The commercial preview version of Office LTSC 2024, Microsoft said in a blog post, will be released in April before a general release later in 2024. Office LTSC, or Long-Term Servicing Channel, represents the version of Office intended for commercial and government use. in specialized and niche uses where devices cannot access the Internet or where software updates are not desired: in manufacturing or medical testing laboratories, for example. It is not sold in stores and is only available for volume purchases.
However, the blog post also touches on the more conventional consumer version of Office 2024, which will also arrive later this year. Importantly for Apple users, Microsoft has confirmed that this will feature a Mac version that will arrive alongside the Windows version and will be available as a “perpetual” device-based license, supported for five years. This means you will be able to purchase Office for Mac 2024 and associated individual apps for a one-time flat fee and get updates through 2029.
Microsoft has been somewhat inconsistent with its Office release schedule, with recent versions arriving in 2021, 2019, 2016, and 2011. Releasing Microsoft 2024 as a standalone purchase is important because it’s unclear whether Microsoft will release another version without subscription.
While the LTSC versions of Office will see price increases “up to 10% at the time of general availability”, the consumer versions are expected to remain the same, currently $150/£119 (Home and Student) and $250 /£249 (Family and Student). and Business) for Microsoft Office 2021. (Note, however, that Microsoft does not guarantee the same price. It simply states “We do not plan to change the price of these products at the time of release.”)
As always, Microsoft makes it clear that it would much prefer that customers opt for a subscription model. Throughout the blog post, there are references to the higher feature set, security, AI capabilities, and more. offered by Microsoft 365/Office 365. The company even touts its suitability for certain situations where the LTSC version may seem an obvious choice, such as on submarines. (For a more objective view, we weigh up the pros and cons of purchasing Office by subscription or directly in our Microsoft 365 vs Office 2021 buying guide.)
This is understandable because software companies like recurring revenue. But we believe that many users will prefer one-time purchases for many years, and for these potential customers, this will indeed be good news.
