Microsoft Hints at a New Microsoft Office at Ignite 2020
If you’re a fan of Microsoft Office, be sure to keep tabs on Microsoft in the coming months. In Microsoft’s Ignite 2020 event, the company dropped a small statement hinting at a new Office product that releases in late 2021.
What’s Coming in the New Microsoft Office?
Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot to go off of right now. All we know for sure are two sentences that appear in the Microsoft Tech Community:
Microsoft Office will also see a new perpetual release for both Windows and Mac, in the second half of 2021.
We will share additional details around the official names, pricing and availability of all these products later.
While this doesn’t tell us a lot, there are two points of interest in the first sentence alone.
First, Microsoft calls this new product a “perpetual release,” which suggests a new standalone product instead of a subscription model. Given the product’s release in the second half of 2021, it’s likely that this will be Office 2021/22, following suit from the previous Office 2019 and 2016 iterations.
Second is Microsoft’s confirmation of a Mac release. Office on Mac isn’t anything new, but it does appear that Microsoft will support the Mac release at the same pace as the Windows one.
This is pretty important, as we’ve seen Microsoft attempt to branch into other operating systems. Recently, the company confirmed that it will bring Microsoft Edge to Linux, the operating system that’s sometimes regarded as the bastion away from Windows.
A New Office for Your Office
While the details are scarce, Microsoft has confirmed a future iteration of Office for Windows and Mac. All we know so far is that it’ll be a standalone product; an official name and further details will come later. As such, be sure to keep tabs on Microsoft as the news develops.
Microsoft has some stiff competition in the office suite world. Microsoft Office once held the lion’s share in the productivity market, but that reign has since been eroded by free Microsoft Office alternatives. We’ll have to wait to see how Microsoft aims to reclaim this throne.
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