Microsoft announce Office is now to be FREE!

Teeeerex

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Update...The bozo I spoke to at Microsoft absolutely INSISTS that office 365 is only free for 1 month....after that you have to pay for it. I tried to explain to him that this is no longer the case for Apple and Android users but he was having none of it. He's given me the number of the billing/accounts team and said they'll verify what he's saying

Well, he is right..
people can create and edit Office content on iPhones, iPads, and soon, Android tablets using Office apps without an Office 365 subscription.
This is what we can do on our un-updated WP Office. Which was paid for, before it was free. & is still not free above 8 inches.
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Of course Office 365 subscribers will continue to benefit from the full Office experience across devices with advanced editing and collaboration capabilities, unlimited OneDrive storage, Dropbox integration and a number of other benefits.
You got carried away a little.
Though... where is our ''full experience'' on the Windows Phone?
 

jlzimmerman

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Between my wife and I we have had 4 windows phones (both 8 and 8.1) and Office was on each and didn't pay dime to use them or subscribe to Office365. I don't know what all the fuss is in this thread.
 

Wam1q

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Why should I have to fund Office for the well off aristos when I have a bus pass to fund? Surely this is the wrong way round? The pin-stripes have taken all the money already. I must give them MORE MS? Really?

Don't be melodramatic. A rich iPhone/iPad user getting free Office will have to pay for Office on his Mac. And a WP/RT user getting free Office will have to pay for use on his PC. That's fair. What's not fair is that iPhone user will get a more feature-filled Office app compared to the WP Office hub. Everything else is perfectly fine.
 

Wam1q

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Well, he is right..

This is what we can do on our un-updated WP Office. Which was paid for, before it was free. & is still not free above 8 inches.
+

You got carried away a little.
Though... where is our ''full experience'' on the Windows Phone?

BTW, that threshold for Office/Windows being free is 9". So almost all tablets/phones come into that category.
 

toddpart

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You all need to be very clear about what you're asking and what claims you're making. The Office apps for iOS and Android are free, yes. This does not equate to getting Office365 for free...no way, no how. A subscription to Office365 gives you the ability to install the desktop versions of Office on up to 5 machines, you can install on 5 tablets or phones, you get 1TB of storage, etc. You can see all the details here->Compare Microsoft Office Products

The 'bozo' you speak of is absolutely right...Office 365 is only free for 1 month and then you need to pay for it.

Office apps for iOS and Android are NOT Office 365. And before you tell me that you need an Office 365 account for the apps to work, that's not correct either. You need a Microsoft Account which is totally different than an Office 365 subscription.

WP users get Office for WP FREE just like an iOS or Android user get their apps free. The only unfortunate thing is that the iOS and Android apps are much better right now than the WP apps.

Educate yourselves with facts before you go spewing inaccurate data points that do nothing but confuse the lay person.
 

Wam1q

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Between my wife and I we have had 4 windows phones (both 8 and 8.1) and Office was on each and didn't pay dime to use them or subscribe to Office365. I don't know what all the fuss is in this thread.

Really... Some people think they PAID for the Windows OS on their phone and that PAYMENT (which is actually zero) includes Office since Office is bundled with the OS... -_-
 

Wam1q

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WP users get Office for WP FREE just like an iOS or Android user get their apps free. The only unfortunate thing is that the iOS and Android apps are much better right now than the WP apps.

Add RT users (tablet users) to that too. They get an Office version which is more feature-filled than what an iOS/Android tablet user can dream of. The only downside is that even with the touch-friendly mode turned on, it is still not very touch-friendly.
 

stephen_az

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Really? So why when I try to sign up for Office 365 on my Win tablet do I get charged? Same thing on my phone, I have to pay for an inclusive Office package (whether I want it on my phone or not) and to link to Office 365 I get charged again?

Apple and Android are to be free all the way, it seems.

Please get your facts straight. The free versions of Office for anything other than RT are still limited feature set products for mobile OSs. If you are running Office on a Mac, it is still a product you must buy therefore it is absolutely not free to "Apple" whatever that means. The fact that the version for ios is now free is a business move consistent with recent decisions by the competition including Apple. The Android version for tablets is also just a preview (beta) version that will not go final for quite some time.

As for Office 365 on your Windows tablet, if the tablet runs RT then a version of Office 2013 should have been free as well. The same goes for Office Home and Student on small Windows tablets since 2013. If your tablet is a small device and did not come bundled with that version of Office, blame your OEM since it was their choice. If it is not a small form factor tablet and it runs a full version of Windows 8.1 then it is subject to same pricing as any other Windows machine. There is nothing unreasonable in this from a business perspective. The fact of life is Microsoft needs to draw a line somewhere since they are the only player in the game to offer a desktop OS on mobile devices. That line is drawn between small form factor devices typically running the 32 bit version of Windows and lower powered processors and more powerful (and larger) machines. Of course they could choose to make Office free to everyone but that position is simply na?ve. Microsoft is not a charity and someone has to pay for something - in this case Windows and OSX users of Office pay for robust products and mobile users get scaled versions for free.
 

Jcmg62

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You all need to be very clear about what you're asking and what claims you're making. The Office apps for iOS and Android are free, yes. This does not equate to getting Office365 for free...no way, no how. A subscription to Office365 gives you the ability to install the desktop versions of Office on up to 5 machines, you can install on 5 tablets or phones, you get 1TB of storage, etc. You can see all the details here->Compare Microsoft Office Products

The 'bozo' you speak of is absolutely right...Office 365 is only free for 1 month and then you need to pay for it.

Office apps for iOS and Android are NOT Office 365. And before you tell me that you need an Office 365 account for the apps to work, that's not correct either. You need a Microsoft Account which is totally different than an Office 365 subscription.

WP users get Office for WP FREE just like an iOS or Android user get their apps free. The only unfortunate thing is that the iOS and Android apps are much better right now than the WP apps.

Educate yourselves with facts before you go spewing inaccurate data points that do nothing but confuse the lay person.

To educate myself, I've just downloaded the word version on my old iPad and compared it to the subscription version on my surface.

There's very little to tell them apart. The only significant initial difference is that you're offered the option to link dropbox to the account rather than onedrive. Apart from that, you can create, edit, save, send and share your word document in exactly the same way as you would in your subscription service.

So, now that I'm educated, I'm still left with the original question; why am I paying for office when others don't have to?

What really burns me is that I've just shelled out a fortune for a surface pro 3 and still have to lay out ?5.99 a month for office. Now MS will argue that a surface falls into the laptop category, but in reality its a tablet. So, in brief, had I shown zero loyalty to Microsoft and gone and gotten myself an iPad I'd be enjoying office for free right now....... this makes no sense.
 

Wam1q

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To educate myself, I've just downloaded the word version on my old iPad and compared it to the subscription version on my surface.

There's very little to tell them apart. The only significant initial difference is that you're offered the option to link dropbox to the account rather than onedrive. Apart from that, you can create, edit, save, send and share your word document in exactly the same way as you would in your subscription service.

So, now that I'm educated, I'm still left with the original question; why am I paying for office when others don't have to?

What really burns me is that I've just shelled out a fortune for a surface pro 3 and still have to lay out ?5.99 a month for office. Now MS will argue that a surface falls into the laptop category, but in reality its a tablet. So, in brief, had I shown zero loyalty to Microsoft and gone and gotten myself an iPad I'd be enjoying office for free right now....... this makes no sense.

The Surface Pro 3 compares to a MacBook Air. Both expensive devices requiring a separate Office licence.
The iPad compares to the Surface 2 or Lumia 2520. Both cheaper than a comparable iPad, with free Office included.
What's the big deal? The Surface Pro 3 doesn't fall into the same category as your iPad. So it doesn't get free Office. Simple as that.
Edit: What you are saying its like this:
What really burns me is that I've just shelled out a fortune for a MacBook Air and still have to lay out ?5.99 a month for office. Now MS will argue that a MacBook falls into the laptop category, but in reality its a tablet. So, in brief, had I shown zero loyalty to Microsoft and gone and gotten myself an iPad I'd be enjoying office for free right now....... this makes no sense.
See the part where it goes wrong? Just like the fact that the MacBook Air is not a tablet, the Surface Pro 3 is not just a tablet. It is an ultrabook inside with a separate keyboard and a touch screen. The iPad is different. It is not an ultrabook. It is a tablet in the real sense (why does your Surface 'tablet' have a fan?) running an oversized phone OS.
 

neo158

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My problem is that on the iOS and Android you had to have an Office 365 subscription in order to create and edit documents, viewing documents was free.

With the removal of that restriction there is now nothing to differentiate Windows Phone from iOS and Android. The updated apps on iOS and Android also have a superior feature set compared to WP and WP users are stuck with a version that's had one update since it was first released with WP 7.0. WP won't get a new version for another year and by that time iOS and Android will have had yet more updates adding even more functionality.

Microsoft should be looking after their own platform, I'm talking about phones and NOT tablets, first.
 

kencaz

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My problem is that on the iOS and Android you had to have an Office 365 subscription in order to create and edit documents, viewing documents was free.

With the removal of that restriction there is now nothing to differentiate Windows Phone from iOS and Android. The updated apps on iOS and Android also have a superior feature set compared to WP and WP users are stuck with a version that's had one update since it was first released with WP 7.0. WP won't get a new version for another year and by that time iOS and Android will have had yet more updates adding even more functionality.

Microsoft should be looking after their own platform, I'm talking about phones and NOT tablets, first.

I agree, MS biz model does not benefit either Surface, WP, or even loyal DT users. There is absolutely no longer any benefit to having MS hardware. The way iOS and Android win is they have exclusive offerings that people want and they say screw you to MS. And MS with a lot of power in their hands just give the competition everything giving people no reason to move platforms or stay in MS's eco system. I know that MS's main focus is getting users on Office and OneDrive but again, at the expense of us loyal DT, Tablet, and WP users. If MS would offer something killer and don't give it away then they would find people moving to WP and hence devs and carriers.
 

Cleavitt76

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I agree, MS biz model does not benefit either Surface, WP, or even loyal DT users. There is absolutely no longer any benefit to having MS hardware. The way iOS and Android win is they have exclusive offerings that people want and they say screw you to MS. And MS with a lot of power in their hands just give the competition everything giving people no reason to move platforms or stay in MS's eco system. I know that MS's main focus is getting users on Office and OneDrive but again, at the expense of us loyal DT, Tablet, and WP users. If MS would offer something killer and don't give it away then they would find people moving to WP and hence devs and carriers.

I avoid the competitors "exclusive" (i.e. locked in) products exactly because they are locked in. You make it sound like having less choice as a consumer is a good thing. How does Office, OneDrive, etc. on other platforms stop you from enjoying those products on MS platforms?

Also, there is a benefit to being in the MS ecosystem. The benefit is that all of these things are more tightly integrated (automatic in some cases) and/or built in. On other platforms you have to install apps, configure settings, and jump through additional hoops. Windows 8.x integration with OneDrive and Office integration with OneDrive are both good examples, but there are plenty of others.
 

Cleavitt76

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My problem is that on the iOS and Android you had to have an Office 365 subscription in order to create and edit documents, viewing documents was free.

With the removal of that restriction there is now nothing to differentiate Windows Phone from iOS and Android. The updated apps on iOS and Android also have a superior feature set compared to WP and WP users are stuck with a version that's had one update since it was first released with WP 7.0. WP won't get a new version for another year and by that time iOS and Android will have had yet more updates adding even more functionality.

Microsoft should be looking after their own platform, I'm talking about phones and NOT tablets, first.

Your complaint about the version of Office built into Windows Phone being behind is valid (unlike the rest of the complaints in this thread which make zero sense). However, Office is baked into the OS on Windows Phone so it's not an easy thing to push out updates. Hopefully it will be brought up to speed with WP10 if not sooner.

Personally, I'm willing to give MS a pass for now since they are juggling a lot right now compared to their competitors and Office on phones is of limited use anyway.
 

neo158

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Your complaint about the version of Office built into Windows Phone being behind is valid (unlike the rest of the complaints in this thread which make zero sense). However, Office is baked into the OS on Windows Phone so it's not an easy thing to push out updates. Hopefully it will be brought up to speed with WP10 if not sooner.

Personally, I'm willing to give MS a pass for now since they are juggling a lot right now compared to their competitors and Office on phones is of limited use anyway.

The problem is that Office on Windows Phone has barely changed since WP7.0 and we're now on WP8.1.1 and in that entire time its had one update and it's still exactly the same. This leaves me with little hope for the version on Windows 10. However, at least it's still a "hub".
 

FinancialP

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Apart from that, you can create, edit, save, send and share your word document in exactly the same way as you would in your subscription service.

So, now that I'm educated, I'm still left with the original question; why am I paying for office when others don't have to?

You're paying for the advanced collaboration tools, tracking changes, and more advanced formatting formulas and more cell use. Stuff mostly business users use.
 

LangBoost

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Agreed, but it's sad there's such a feature gap between mobile editions. WP/RT looks pretty lame stacked up against the iPad version.
 

Wam1q

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Agreed, but it's sad there's such a feature gap between mobile editions. WP/RT looks pretty lame stacked up against the iPad version.

The RT (desktop) version is a lot better than the iPad (mobile) version. Only the WP version is a bit outdated and featureless.
 

envio

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The RT (desktop) version is a lot better than the iPad (mobile) version. Only the WP version is a bit outdated and featureless.

That is my fear too. The featureset will accelerate on other platforms and continue to stagnate on WP. I wonder if it'll become disjoined from the mobile Windows 10 ala XB Music/Video etc so that updates can be pushed out quicker? Kudos to Microsoft for making Office free for mobile devices on all platforms, I did not see that coming.
 

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