Microsoft has tried its hardest to convince people that working on the cloud is the future, but some users like the idea of owning a product instead of leasing it out for a monthly fee. If the words "subscription model" make your toes curl, keep your eyes out for Office 2021 that's coming out later this year.
Microsoft's Announcement for Office 2021
The software giant made the big announcement on the Microsoft 365 website. In fact, the company made two announcements in the article; one for Office 2021 and another for something called "Office LTSC."
In this case, "LTSC" stands for "Long Term Servicing Channel." This will be a special branch of Office for large-scale commercial use, specifically for companies that can't or won't use the cloud to perform their work.
Fortunately, businesses don't have to lock in their choice between the LTSC and the cloud versions of Office. If a company wants to deploy and use both, Microsoft will let them do just that. Microsoft believes that a business won't deploy Office LTSC across the whole organization but will instead mix it with cloud solutions.
We don't have a lot of information about Office LTSC, but we know that Microsoft will release a commercial preview of it in April 2021. That's not a long time to wait to get a sneak peek into Microsoft's plans for the new Office.
If you're not interested in Office's big business side, you'll be more interested in the 2021 version. Microsoft hinted at Office 2021 during Ignite 2020, and now we have a few more details as to what's in store for the productivity suite.
Office 2021 is a one-time purchase that will enjoy five years of support, and Microsoft claims that it "[does] not plan to change the price for these products at the time of the release."
Microsoft is holding its cards close to its chest for the time being, but there are some interesting titbits in the FAQ section. Office 2021 will support both Windows and macOS in personal and commercial applications, support both 32 and 64-bit systems, and ship with OneNote.
Back to the Office With Office 2021
If you're not a fan of subscription models and cloud services, there's no need to fret. Microsoft plans to release a new 2021 version of its famous Office service, with more information coming later in the year.
If you like the sound of Office 2021, but you've yet to wrap your head around the productivity suite, did you know you can use online tutorials, videos, and classes to become an Office wizard and get work done in record time?
