Microsoft announce Office is now to be FREE!

[neo158]

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.

Exactly my fear as well, I have no problem with Office being available on all platforms but Microsoft should at least makes sure that all platforms are on par as far as features go, that would also make it easier to maintain as well.

 

[spaulagain]

One thing I've learned from this thread, a lot of ignorant people regarding Office.

Office 365 is never free. Maybe offered on the house for a year, but never free after that.

What can be free is Office apps on various mobile device across Android, iOS, and Windows.

Where Office apps require paid subscription access...

1. Full Windows (x86)
2. OSX (x86)
3. Lenox, isn't even available?

Where they're free...

1. Windows Phone
2. Windows RT
3. Full Windows under 9" (confirm?)
4. iOS
5. Android
6. Web/Browser

All of the free versions are much more limited in functionality. Novice users may not know one way or the other, but I can tell you having used them all, the paid ones have probably more than double the functionality. The only place where that's both the case is on Windows RT and Full Windows sub 9". Those are basically the full apps. One is just recompiled for ARM.


In other words, get over it. It makes perfect sense and no one is getting treated unfairly here.

 

[spaulagain]

BTW, at $69 a year, Office 365 is one of the cheapest and most comprehensive software subscription services available. Especially now that they added unlimited OneDrive storage.

 

[tgp]

BTW, at $69 a year, Office 365 is one of the cheapest and most comprehensive software subscription services available. Especially now that they added unlimited OneDrive storage.

I agree. This is one service I am more than happy to pay for. I use the Office 365 Home subscription for $99.99/year. However, it can be gotten much cheaper. The first year I bought it from Amazon Prime for around $65 (currently going for around $75), and for the renewal this year I bought one off eBay for $50. Even at full retail it's an excellent bargain for Office Pro installed on up to 5 PCs (I use it on 3).

 

[neo158]

One thing I've learned from this thread, a lot of ignorant people regarding Office.

Office 365 is never free. Maybe offered on the house for a year, but never free after that.

What can be free is Office apps on various mobile device across Android, iOS, and Windows.

Where Office apps require paid subscription access...

1. Full Windows (x86)
2. OSX (x86)
3. Lenox, isn't even available?

Where they're free...

1. Windows Phone
2. Windows RT
3. Full Windows under 9" (confirm?)
4. iOS
5. Android
6. Web/Browser

All of the free versions are much more limited in functionality. Novice users may not know one way or the other, but I can tell you having used them all, the paid ones have probably more than double the functionality. The only place where that's both the case is on Windows RT and Full Windows sub 9". Those are basically the full apps. One is just recompiled for ARM.


In other words, get over it. It makes perfect sense and no one is getting treated unfairly here.

FYI a paid subscription is actually optional on OSX and Windows as you can buy a copy of Office outright on those platforms as well. Not free but not a paid subscription either.

 

[spaulagain]

FYI a paid subscription is actually optional on OSX and Windows as you can buy a copy of Office outright on those platforms as well. Not free but not a paid subscription either.

Correct. Although it's not Office 365, so you won't get the unlimited OneDrive as far as I know.

 

[Tom Snyder]

Exactly where and how do you get Office FREE? I've had my 920 almost 2 years now. I can store MS Word documents and such on OneDrive and open them and I can open the Office app on my 920 but all I can do is open stored documents there is no way to create one unless I purchase a subscription to Office 365. So for what I see Office only lets me store my Microsoft Office documents. Which I could already do on OneDrive.

 

[Mr. Brown]

Exactly where and how do you get Office FREE? I've had my 920 almost 2 years now. I can store MS Word documents and such on OneDrive and open them and I can open the Office app on my 920 but all I can do is open stored documents there is no way to create one unless I purchase a subscription to Office 365. So for what I see Office only lets me store my Microsoft Office documents. Which I could already do on OneDrive.

I can create new documents on my L920 and my Icon. Open up Office, swipe to recent, hit the plus at the bottom.

 

[ohgood]

BTW, at $69 a year, Office 365 is one of the cheapest and most comprehensive software subscription services available. Especially now that they added unlimited OneDrive storage.

what benefit does a person gain from subscribing, to an office suite?


there is a slew of free suites available. .. I figured they would catch more wrath than Microsoft their own products?

 

[neo158]

Correct. Although it's not Office 365, so you won't get the unlimited OneDrive as far as I know.

The only thing I don't like is the lack of features in the WP version, why give us the ability to open password protected files but not the ability to edit them and why am I not able to edit documents with special formatting. There are also lots of features that are MIA on WP but iOS and Android have them right now, how many versions of Windows Phone have we had released yet those features were and still are MIA!!!

 

[neo158]

what benefit does a person gain from subscribing, to an office suite?


there is a slew of free suites available. .. I figured they would catch more wrath than Microsoft their own products?

Constant updates to the latest versions of the Office programs, at least on x86 and x64 based versions of Windows and MacOS.

 

[tgp]

what benefit does a person gain from subscribing, to an office suite?


there is a slew of free suites available. .. I figured they would catch more wrath than Microsoft their own products?

Constant updates to the latest versions of the Office programs, at least on x86 and x64 based versions of Windows and MacOS.

That's one advantage. Another one is that you can install Office on multiple computers, depending on the version of Office 365 you're subscribed to. In my case, my total cost over a 3 year period will be around $200, and I have Office installed on 3 computers, plus I will get Office 2016 (or whatever the next version will be called) when it's released, at no extra charge. And that's not even mentioning OneDrive storage, Lync, and Skype credit.

 

[Cleavitt76]

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".

I know. I get that. Office on Windows Phone is falling behind now. However, keep in mind that for most of the time that Office was "barely changing" on WP, it was not available at all on other mobile platforms. Hopefully MS is just waiting for the next opportunity (OS update) to update Office on Windows Phone rather than ignoring office on WP. I guess we will know one way or another when W10 is released.

 

[Tom Snyder]

I can create new documents on my L920 and my Icon. Open up Office, swipe to recent, hit the plus at the bottom.

Thanks,
Right after I posted I started looking at the settings and found what you had posted. I don't think this has always been available all I got was the 30 days free trial with my 920 a few months later I bought a new W8 laptop even though it was brand new I did not get a new free trial with the new laptop either. Plus since then another new laptop and desktop in the past year no free trial with them either, so I've not even opened Office for a few months.

I just wish you could purchase it and they would do away with the subscription fee. With the yearly fee Microsoft Office is a better buy IMO.

 

[Mr. Brown]

Thanks,
Right after I posted I started looking at the settings and found what you had posted. I don't think this has always been available all I got was the 30 days free trial with my 920 a few months later I bought a new W8 laptop even though it was brand new I did not get a new free trial with the new laptop either. Plus since then another new laptop and desktop in the past year no free trial with them either, so I've not even opened Office for a few months.

I just wish you could purchase it and they would do away with the subscription fee. With the yearly fee Microsoft Office is a better buy IMO.

You don't have to have a subscription to have it work on WP. I've never owned an office365 subscription.

 

[Darthbobcat]

You are absolutely right there, mate. MS's paying customers should be first. A & G have never shown this weakness for users of MS platforms.




& it has never been updated.

Go look at a Windows Phone 7 device. The Office app is noticeably worse, especially with 1) One Note being almost unusable and 2) terrible cloud integration.

 

[spaulagain]

what benefit does a person gain from subscribing, to an office suite?


there is a slew of free suites available. .. I figured they would catch more wrath than Microsoft their own products?

Well, for one, you get unlimited storage on OneDrive.

What do you mean by free suites? You mean stuff like Google Docs?

I've used G Docs a lot from the ding dongs at work that insist on using it despite that we have Office 365 subscription. Google docs is pretty basic and lame. Aside from very basic document creation, G Docs is worthless IMO. Not to mention that Google Docs is horrible at converting to legit MS Office documents.

 

[spaulagain]

Thanks,
Right after I posted I started looking at the settings and found what you had posted. I don't think this has always been available all I got was the 30 days free trial with my 920 a few months later I bought a new W8 laptop even though it was brand new I did not get a new free trial with the new laptop either. Plus since then another new laptop and desktop in the past year no free trial with them either, so I've not even opened Office for a few months.

I just wish you could purchase it and they would do away with the subscription fee. With the yearly fee Microsoft Office is a better buy IMO.

That's always been available. I only just now bought Office 365. But I've always been able to create new docs on Office for WP.

 

[ohgood]

Well, for one, you get unlimited storage on OneDrive.

What do you mean by free suites? You mean stuff like Google Docs?

I've used G Docs a lot from the ding dongs at work that insist on using it despite that we have Office 365 subscription. Google docs is pretty basic and lame. Aside from very basic document creation, G Docs is worthless IMO. Not to mention that Google Docs is horrible at converting to legit MS Office documents.

server space hasn't been a big deal (for me) since 2001 or so.

I hadn't tried converting documents to office format , but I've fixed a ton of files that wouldn't work from one version of office to the next, with OpenOffice. then I realized office was the problem, not the needed software. nothing would surprise me from Google software as much as they change things. there onLine beta wares and microsofts ui/os rewrites have taught me to keep what works and discard the trendy updates until they're vetted.

 

[neo158]

Actually on iOS and Android Office is only free for Home Use, if you want to use it for business then you NEED an Office 365 subscription. I didn't know this until I saw it on the Play Store page for Office Mobile.

The only versions that are totally free for both home and business use are Office RT 2013 and Office for WP.