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Microsoft Is Readying a Consumer Microsoft 365 Subscription Bundle (zdnet.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the consumer-focused dept.

Microsoft is working on a new "Microsoft 365 Consumer" bundle that "will be the consumer-focused complement to Microsoft's existing Microsoft 365 subscription bundle for business users," reports ZDNet. From the report: A couple of recent Microsoft job postings mention the consumer subscription bundle, which Microsoft has yet to announce publicly. One job posting for a Product Manager for the "M365 Consumer Subscription" notes: "The Subscription Product Marketing team is a new team being created to build and scale the Microsoft 365 Consumer Subscription." The job description says the product manager for this service will help "identify, build, position and market a great new Microsoft 365 Consumer Subscription."

The job post notes that the team behind Microsoft 365 Consumer oversees the Windows platform, the Microsoft Surface device portfolio, Office 365 consumer plans, Skype, Cortana, Bing search, as well as the Microsoft Education team. If I were betting on what Microsoft 365 Consumer might include, I'd think some variant of Windows 10, Office 365 Home, Skype, Cortana, Bing, Outlook Mobile, Microsoft To-Do and maybe MSN apps and services could figure into the picture. Maybe this subscription will be tied to Surface devices only? Maybe a monthly leasing fee for Surfaces will be part of the bundle itself?

50 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. Office is dead! by Darkling-MHCN · · Score: 1

    Long live office!

    1. Re:Office is dead! by JMJimmy · · Score: 2

      I can't get away from Microsoft fast enough

    2. Re:Office is dead! by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Especially if they're pushing subscription software.

      I don't "subscribe" to software. No apologies. Sell it to me, or get stuffed.

    3. Re:Office is dead! by Uber+Banker · · Score: 1

      I'm curious what you're using as alternatives?

      You mentioned Outlook and not Exchange, and didn't mention Excel, so I'm imagining not a corporate set-up?

  2. Yes please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    LibreOffice just isn't cutting it for me here at home. Please load up my machine with something that sends telemetry remote servers and throw in some advertising too if it's not too much trouble. Oh and send me a bill every month. Thanks!

  3. End of personal computing by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Corporations REALLY want to move everyone to a monthly rental model in order to satisfy their CFOs need for predictable quarterly income. This is really the end of personal computing since it will all be tied to the cloud and the Internet. Eventually ISPs will require your device to be one of the approved rental model systems in order to connect to the Internet at all.

    1. Re:End of personal computing by olsmeister · · Score: 1

      People will be 'cutting the cord' on their computers just like they are today with their television if it gets too bad.

    2. Re:End of personal computing by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Everything old is new again. Paternalistic corporate thieves like Satan Nerdella want us to go back to the "dumb terminal" era, 1970s style.

    3. Re:End of personal computing by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      This is really the end of personal computing since it will all be tied to the cloud and the Internet.

      Unlikely. What you are forgetting is that every action has a consequence. I find it far more likely that this is going to really increase support for alternatives like LibreOffice.

      Eventually ISPs will require your device to be one of the approved rental model systems in order to connect to the Internet at all.

      You sound like my brother, a real cynic who thinks all people will accept any awful condition. For some people it's true but there are enough people fighting such blatantly evil corporate bullshit that such a thing would never succeed.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    4. Re:End of personal computing by ctilsie242 · · Score: 3, Informative

      This is already happening. Look at your DOCSIS modem. For most ISPs, it has to be on an approved list, and they flash their firmware onto the device, even if is owned by you. I wouldn't be surprised to see "AV" software forced into all Internet connected devices, which scanned for pirated stuff and unlicensed movies, under the guide of "anti-terrorism".

      The thing about the business love affair for monthly stuff is twofold:

      1: Shareholders will sue if stuff gets charged off for other expenses, so companies have to minimize CAPEX costs (payroll, equipment, etc), and move to OPEX, so they can keep the same numbers as the previous quarter. Moving to the cloud means that they don't have to worry about having to buy new stuff every 3-5 years and lose profits. Even if a company does a "forklift", which costs them almost an order of magnitude more, because it is a monthly cost, and the trendy thing, they get a free pass. Plus, it allows for people (rackers/stackers, OS/Ops people, etc.) to be laid off, making them look better on Wall Street.

      2: Businesses who sell stuff love monthly subscriptions. Companies highly feared lock-in with mainframes, but they are embracing a technology where they -have- to pay no matter what, or else they don't run. To boot, there is no real way to effectively port in or out of the cloud without major internal redesigns, and those can be impossible.

      The good thing is that this has been moving people to open source software. For example, password programs like 1Password and mSecure require monthly commitments, whether or not you use their cloud offering, when in previous versions, you just bought the app and stored the databases yourself. Now, people move to KeePass and other F/OSS software, just because they are tired of the greed involved. Some companies even run completely on Linux now, desktop, directory, and all. When some company demands a SAM audit for a Microsoft true-up, they can laugh in the person's face, since nothing MS goes in the door, and machines are sent from the factory with no OS on them.

    5. Re:End of personal computing by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      They will also demand copyright on the content produced on their operating by their software and you not only should pay rent to access them but also copyright fees on the content you created that they most empatically do own, stop paying rent and they instantly deny you access. I can imagine the squeals when they double the rent, which they will do.

      It's not like everyone wasn't warned over a decade ago and most foolishly choose not to listen. Infinite greed, infinite profits and you can bet they will be demanding a percentage of all money spent via their their computer in your home, pay a bill with a credit card, their computer handled the electronic transfer, they are entitled to a percentage of the money, else, you never know all you details might leak and your account emptied.

      Now you have to rent the probe, fell good yet about M$ watching you masturbate.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    6. Re:End of personal computing by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 2

      Terminal emulation software includes the lesser DEC VT100

      Great, rub it in. When I grew up we could only afford a VT-52, you insensitive clod!

    7. Re: End of personal computing by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 1

      SAAS = Software As A Service.

      Are you sure? In my experience it's been most Shit as as Service.

    8. Re:End of personal computing by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      This is really the end of personal computing

      Nope. It's the end of a couple of greedy arsehats.

    9. Re:End of personal computing by Order_66 · · Score: 2

      Take a look at the state of windows software today and compare it to 10 years ago, are the consumers better off today than they were back then?

    10. Re: End of personal computing by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Yes. Vista sucked ass! Windows 10 is much faster, secure, and reliable in comparison

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
    11. Re:End of personal computing by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      This is already happening. Look at your DOCSIS modem. For most ISPs, it has to be on an approved list, and they flash their firmware onto the device, even if is owned by you. I wouldn't be surprised to see "AV" software forced into all Internet connected devices, which scanned for pirated stuff and unlicensed movies, under the guide of "anti-terrorism".

      That'd be fucking stupid given that a consumer bought DOCSIS modem usually doesn't see any traffic that the ISP doesn't see anyway (yes, you can buy DOCSIS/Router bundle devices, I have one myself, but most consumer bought DOCSIS modems are standalone and have to be plugged into a separate router. So the DOCSIS modem has no access to your internal network that anyone outside of your network doesn't already have.)

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  4. Fuck this idea... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 4, Insightful

    'guess I'll be sticking with Windows 7 or some variant of Linux indefinitely if M$ wants to ram a monthly subscription to Win 10 down my raw gullet.

    1. Re:Fuck this idea... by Ormy · · Score: 1

      I am still on windows 7 purely for gaming reasons, I will never go near windows 10. My sincere hope is that AAA-games will run natively on linux (with similar or superior performance to windows) before they stop supporting DirectX11 (i.e. windows 7). At that point I will happily switch to linux and never look back.

    2. Re:Fuck this idea... by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Microsoft365 is just WIndows + Office 365 together. If you don't want to pay for a subscription then don't.

      Some users don't care about computers and just need to run spreadsheets for work and have their kids run book reports and do their taxes etc. Office 365 is like $60 a year for 4 devices.

      I used to think it was a good value with Skydrive which is now OneDrive but since the cost of 1 TB hard drives are cheap maybe not so much. So far Office is still top notch as LibreOffice is amature.

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
    3. Re:Fuck this idea... by Uber+Banker · · Score: 1

      Run Linux on the machine, and run Windows as a standalone should you need to use Office instead of Libre. It's not ideal, but, especially for presentation Libre lags Office.

    4. Re:Fuck this idea... by StormReaver · · Score: 1

      If you don't want to pay for a subscription then don't.

      You seem to think that you will have a choice within the Microsoft prison. Microsoft apologists are like lobsters in a cooking tank who think they can just move to another tank when the water gets too hot.

    5. Re: Fuck this idea... by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Windows never will be a SAS. MS would be sued by OEMs and users will leave for other platforms. Microsoft 365 is volunterary. This has been repeated here for many years now

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
    6. Re: Fuck this idea... by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Or our bosses don't pay us to hang out on Linux. Not everyone gets to be a senior Unix admin.

      Or we want to play a game and I loose that freedom in Linux.

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
    7. Re: Fuck this idea... by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      What a bullshit argument. You don't have to be admin to learn Linux, just like you don't have to be a Windows admin to learn Windows. Also, if games are your thing then they make consoles dedicated for such endeavors. There are also tons of Linux games and loads more work with WINE. If you absolutely must play a game then there are VMs you can run Windows in.

      The only reason to stick with Windows now is if you like the abuse.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  5. Still doing it wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm still not sure why they don't just _give_ away their Office product for non-commercial use.

    If teach the workforce to use your product, they'll prefer it over the alternatives, and you'll thus naturally dominate the workforce marketplace.

    This isn't rocket rocket science, not a natural law type science, it's shitty-fake human emotion type science...
    gg Derpmosoft

  6. We do have Libreoffice and Google Docs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Let's see. Why would I pay MS for this "365" product, especially a bastardized "home" version?

  7. Short-term gain for long-term losses. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Computer users a cheap, really fucking cheap. There will always be a class of people who will go with rent-seeking ideas like this but it will be short lived. The majority of people will switch to something free (may be pirated MS Office or LibreOffice) because money is money. They are going to end up cutting ties with most users to profit from the few that go along with it. The few that go along is an eroding base because MS Office will soon no longer be the dominate office suite that everyone knows.

    The only way this works is if the product is free for the user and they subject you to ads and steal your personal info even more and even then you have to compete with google's office suite.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:Short-term gain for long-term losses. by rastos1 · · Score: 1

      That class of cheap users represent class of customers that do not bring significant revenue and so can be seen as cost-cutting opportunity. If that happens, there will be nothing left to switch to. I'm already afraid that the next computer I will buy to replace my current machine (now ~7 years old) will not be able to boot anything but "approved OS" due UEFI and secure boot.

    2. Re: Short-term gain for long-term losses. by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Yet same ones that pay $1200 over 2 years for a $900 Samsung phone with an inflated monthly phone bill. Most idiots even finance cars and never pay full in cash??!! This was unheard of 40 years ago

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
  8. Windows SAS by sdinfoserv · · Score: 3, Informative

    There you have it, the official announcement that Windows will be a subscription. Something Microsoft has been trying to accomplish since XP. Don't pay your annual MS tithe and you're the proud owner of a $1200 brick. I just bough a Surface Go to test for the office. Get the one with a big enough drive to support updates (because the 64Gb model runs out of drive space after you patch for a year), add a keyboard, mouse and pen (all extra) plus extended 2yr warrant and it is $1200.

    1. Re:Windows SAS by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

      I'm sure you can run Linux on it. I can recommend Ubuntu, and Mint wasn't bad either, and of course just about every distro has a 'live' version you can try out without changing anything.

    2. Re:Windows SAS by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Everyone as usual here keeps freaking out that Windows is now RENT ONLY???!

      Microsoft365 is just a rename for Office 365 so relax folks. If you don't want to pay for it then don't. No one is forcing you to run Office 365 or use OneDrive for your photos. Some people want this to get work done. Others do not.

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
  9. Coming Soon, HWAaS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Hardware as a service, which is really already here.

    Simply pay a "small monthly fee" for a computer.
    And Another small monthly fee for internet access
    and another small monthly fee for Office
    and another small monthly fee for storage
    and another small monthly fee for printing [ hp instant ink ]
    and another small monthly fee for scanning
    and another small monthly fee for music
    and another small monthly fee for skype...

    Computing Bill: $500/Mo
    Cycle Charge: 0.00001/cycle
    Stoage Charge: 0.0001/byte
    Bandwidth Charge:

    So, the mainframe era comes again.

    1. Re:Coming Soon, HWAaS by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 4, Informative

      Buddy, do you not realize that this goes far beyond Microsoft or computing devices in general? The Rich want everyone to rent or lease everything and own nothing of value. Look for this, you'll see that it's true. Basically another form of feudalism. Discourage and/or prevent average people from owning anything with any real value by placing barriers in their way. When everything is leased or rented, those things can be taken away with little or no notice, and when you're poor, substantial legal representation is out of your reach financially, so you can't fight it. When you can't, for instance, own your own home, you can't build equity in it as you pay off the loan, therefore you can't borrow against that equity, so you're stuck with just your income. The credit rating system is rigged also, so your ability to borrow money is limited. This and other things are what are destorying the middle class in the U.S., leaving a vacuum in it's place, so there's only 'The Poor' and 'The Rich', with no way to cross that gulf because no middle class. Also note how hideously expensive it is to get a college degree, and it's getting harder and harder to get student loans, and even if you can you're struggling to pay them off for years and years -- assuming that is your degree is even worth anything in todays' workplace, which all too often it isn't.

    2. Re:Coming Soon, HWAaS by Ormy · · Score: 2

      The plan of "Keeping people poor and not letting them own anything" has not, historically, worked out well for the rich. It might work OK-ish for the first generation, but then the subsequent generations become increasingly criminal, depraved, undisciplined, abusive, sadistic and masochistic. Lots of historical precident there of tragedy repeating over and over and things happening we can't have a very unpolite conversation about.

      I am very skeptical about the "Rich screwing the poor" by force line due to that; I would assume the rich are very motivated not to have their entire blood line made extinct.

      Whilst 'the rich' may appear intelligent, cunning and inventive in their methods to screw the rest of us over in the ways Rick mentioned (and they are screwing all of us exactly as Rick says), they are still too dumb to learn from the basic lessons of history. It's also complacence, they feel so powerful that nothing bad will ever happen. I can't wait for the day history does come around again and bite them in the ass.

    3. Re:Coming Soon, HWAaS by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      I can't wait for the day history does come around again and bite them in the ass.

      Every time that happens there's open war with lots of blood and beheadings, so I'd rather not see it in my lifetime.

      Sure. I'm with you there, AC. But I'd also hope enough people in positions to do something about it are informed enough and thoughtful enough to really comprehend what's happening here, and put a stop to it before it's set in stone and our species has to go through yet another iteration of this stupid loop. We, as a species, keep taking two steps forward and one step back -- and occasionally one step forward and two steps back; for once it would be nice if we'd just keep taking nice steady steps forward and skip the whole backtracking thing.

  10. And a huge middle finger to them by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 2

    There.

  11. Fuck them sideways with a rusty chainsaw by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2, Informative

    NEVER going back to Windows now, NEVER. Libre Office/Open Office serve my needs just fine, and no Microsoft bullshit.

  12. Well by oh-dark-thirty · · Score: 1

    of course they are.

  13. FUCK OFF WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION SOFTWARE by argStyopa · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.

    --
    -Styopa
  14. I'm not worried by Voyager529 · · Score: 2

    I don't see this being a long term success for Microsoft. Let's take a look at this bundle...

    Office - MS would be foolish to not keep this a separate subscription. Besides, kids are coming up with Google Docs and Gmail is a de facto standard, Office can be easily avoided for anyone who wishes to.
    Skype - I know some people still use it, but for those users where FaceTime or Hangouts isn't practical, there are a dozen other options for IM and video chat.
    Windows - making an OS dependent on a subscription payment to run third party software is going to come back to haunt Microsoft. Even if they avoid spending a ton of time in court, they're going to end up receiving the ire of every third party software vendor who writes for Windows...and even if the thought is that so many people are doing everything in a browser that it doesn't matter, that's an argument for OSX or Chromebooks, and also summarily dismisses lots of VERY expensive line of business software for niche industries...and also most of Adobe's bread and butter. Now, if the argument is "no updates if you don't subscribe", the response from a whole lot of people will be, "do you mean it?!". Microsoft's updates are seen by most as a necessary evil, not something to be anticipated.
    Cortana - first off, f'k that b'ch. Second, virtual assistants tend to be associated with mobile devices. People who want one are generally already used to saying "hey Alexa" or "OK Google", and they're already used to not-paying for it.
    MSN - has literally anybody, ever, since the release of Mosaic, subscribed to a general purpose search engine? Not AltaVista, not Lycos or Excite, not Dogpile or Duck Duck Go, and certainly not Google.
    Hotmail/Outlook.com email - they're a minority player to begin with, folks who are paying for personal mail are likely paying for Yahoo or AOL or something else entirely based on inertia. Convincing users to switch from Gmail or not switch *to* gmail isn't the easiest selling point.

    Bonus: the MS Appy App store and its UWP apps aren't adopting well as it is. If they have to tell the developers they have that their audience will suddenly be limited to MS subscribers, that's going to make things even harder on both sides, while making Android development that much safer of a bet.

    So really, MS doesn't really offer a product that seems like a candidate for subscription that can't either be readily replaced, except the one that's so entrenched that requiring a subscription would either royally backfire from a user revolt, sell so poorly that it would clearly be a fool's errand, or ultimately dare the courts to step in and start regulating them.

    1. Re:I'm not worried by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Office 365 home has been around for a long time now. It is just a renamed version. Some people need it for school and work. Others don't.

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
    2. Re:I'm not worried by Junta · · Score: 1

      That goes with his point really, they have one offering where they have the clout to make a paid subscription out of and they have already done it. Even with their overwhelming dominance, most people I know are either just using an old perpetually licensed copy they got along the way or have gone to a free office suite, either libreoffice or google docs depending on whether they want online or offline experience. Those considering that MacOS or ChromeOS might be 'good enough' for their use may jump ship if they are somehow pushed into a monthly subscription to stay on Windows.

      Of course, this all may be a branding exercise and might be a bundle of Office365 with free services and no different pricing.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
  15. Uh! by no-body · · Score: 1

    This constant cloud-lure of the bad internet-gangs along with M$ofts 365 gunk sure sucks ass!

  16. Confused... by Junta · · Score: 1

    Windows 10,

    Not technically free, but any customer that would buy such a subscription already has a permanent copy that MS has certainly acted like updates for the OS are free forever...

    Office 365 Home,

    That would seem to be a given...

    Skype,

    A free service, so don't see how that makes any sense.

    Cortana,

    Both free *and* there are signs they are recognizing it as a flop as well...

    Bing,

    Another free thing...

    Outlook Mobile,

    As far as I know, free...

    Microsoft To-Do

    Never heard of it

    and maybe MSN apps and services could figure into the picture.

    Hahahaha

    I'm having a hard time conceiving of a Microsoft 365 offering that includes anything beyond Office 365... I *suppose* they could offer a VDI sort of thing, but I don't see that being popular, particularly since the entire design of OneDrive integration in Windows 10 is meant to provide the biggest benefit, access to data after device has failed, been damaged, or infected.

    --
    XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    1. Re:Confused... by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      I'd assume there'd be some cloud stuff brought in in addition to the kind included with Office: if you're going to get people to subscribe you'll want them to get used to keeping all their stuff they don't want to lose access to on your servers.

  17. Too many montly bills already. by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Subscriptions actually make more sense for businesses. Automatic updates, lower upfront cost to allow more liquidity towards purchases more directly needed for the business,The ability to cancel services when the product isn't needed...

    For Home use though, it is just a suck on our income, with an other monthly bill to make sure you have money in your bank account to pay for. And for a product you may not be using all the time. I would much rather buy a copy of office for a few hundred bucks and let it become a few years out of date, where if my income gets tight I can still have the product at hand.

    Luckally LibreOffice is good enough for my home use. And my works Office account allows me to have a copy on my PC as well.
    However what I really miss is Photoshop, I really can't justify paying that much for Adobe Subscription for software that is on my PC

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  18. Inferior Product Costs More by Thelasko · · Score: 2

    Not only will it cost more in the long run, it's an inferior product because the back end is contacting Microsoft all of the time, slowing it down.

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
  19. Monthly Microsoft bills? by Joshs922 · · Score: 2

    What home user is going to start paying and budgeting for their monthly Microsoft bill - to pay for their Microsoft Word and Excel? Seriously? We have been giddy happy Debian Linux users for years now and have not missed Microsoft at all, except for the Win7 VM we run to run Desktop Quickbooks - another great natively running application that the developer would like to permanently replace with an inferior subscription product. I'm going to get ahead of the game and switch to GnuCash for 2019 and be done with Quickbooks too before they abandon me altogether (by abandoning their desktop product).