14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently announced the debut of another Office 365 version that’s specifically addressed to individuals and comes at more affordable prices than the existing packages.
Called Office 365 Personal, the new subscription is available for $6.99 (€5.05) per month or $69.99 (€50.5) per year and provides support for one PC or Mac and one tablet to be connected at the same time.
“We recognize that there are households of all shapes and sizes and we’re committed to delivering the right Office for everyone – whether that be one person or an entire household,” Microsoft explained in a blog post.
At the same time, Office 365 Home Premium will continue to be offered, but Redmond renamed it to Office 365 Home for a much more appropriate designation that clearly emphasizes its purpose. The change will come into effect when Office 365 Personal is launched this spring, Microsoft said.
“Whichever Office 365 subscription you choose, you’ll get all of the subscription benefits including 60 minutes of Skype calling per month, 20 GB of additional OneDrive storage and always be up to date with the most recent version of Office,” Microsoft also noted.
Office 365 is becoming a much more important product for Microsoft, mostly because of the company’s transition to devices and services as part of the “One Microsoft” transformation plan started by former CEO Steve Ballmer in August 2013.
At the same time, Microsoft is also working to expand the traditional Office productivity suite to some new platforms, including iOS and Android, with sources familiar with the matter claiming that an iPad version is very likely to be released in the coming months.
What’s more, Microsoft is also working on a touch-based version of Office that would be specifically aimed at Windows 8 users and offering tools capable of running the Metro UI without the need for a mouse and keyboard.
The launch of the touch-based Office could take place after the debut of the iPad flavor, some people familiar with the development plans said with several occasions.
Office for Mac will also receive a new update sometime this year, with existing rumors point to a launch in the second quarter of 2014. OneNote for Mac could be offered free of charge as well in an attempt to help Microsoft compete against Evernote, so making the application available on as many platforms as possible is a priority for the Redmond-based software giant in the coming months.