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Microsoft Really Doesn't Want You To Buy Office 2019 (venturebeat.com)

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the how-about-that dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Microsoft today launched a marketing campaign pitting Office 2019 and Office 365 against each other. The goal? To prove Office 2019 isn't worth buying -- you and your company should go with Office 365 instead. In a series of three videos, twins Jeremy and Nathan calculate the differences in Excel, Cynni and Tanny present their findings in PowerPoint, while Scott and Sean type it out in Word. The ads are cringe-worthy, to say the least, but they do get the point across.

When Microsoft announced Office 2019 in September 2017, the company said the productivity suite was "for customers who aren't yet ready for the cloud." And when Microsoft launched Office 2019 in September 2018, the company promised it wouldn't be the last: "We're committed to another on-premises release in the future." And yet, Microsoft would much rather you join the ranks of Office 365's 33.3 million subscribers. If you must, Office 2019 is available for purchase. But Office 365 is really what the company wants you to buy.

6 of 339 comments (clear)

  1. Have it your way, MS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I will then not give you any money, for there is no way in hell I am going to pay you a recurrent subscription.

  2. SaaS is news? by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Gee, Software as a Service, aka monthly software rental fees, where Microsoft can nickel and dime you every month is a surprise?

    The entire software industry is moving this direction. Adobe, JetBrains, etc.

    Why is this news?

    1. Re:SaaS is news? by Solandri · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The really stupid thing is that unless you're collaborating with someone on a document, you shouldn't be exchanging Word of Excel or Powerpoint documents. Those programs are for creating the document. Once it's created, you're supposed to print it out (to paper or a PDF) and distribute that to the people you want reading it. Emailing people the .doc file is like sending the source code to someone who only needs a copy of the executable, then telling them they need to buy a copy of the latest compiler to convert the source code into the file that they really need.

  3. they are half right........ by wolfie_cr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    actually neither are worth buying for probably higher than 90% of people.........libreoffice all the way

  4. more like rent by Locutus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "But Office 365 is really what the company wants you to buy."

    Buy? They don't want you to buy anything, they want you to rent it.

    --
    "Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
  5. Office 2010 by Holi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Considering I still use my retail 2010 license I can understand why they would prefer to sell the subscription service.

    But it's also the same reason I will continue to use 2010.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.