Microsoft has revealed that the Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft 365, which is cloud-based, will be available on a single desktop and mobile device.
The announcement at the company''s annual Ignite event will come to an end to the Office.com web portal starting November 2022, with the existing Microsoft Office apps on desktop and mobile being phased out in January 2023.
All Microsoft 365 users will be affected by this move across their businesses, education, and personal subscriptions.
New Microsoft 365 features
Microsoft was prompt to clear up any misinformation about the move, confirming that Microsoft Office will continue to exist as a standalone service that users may select to purchase directly.
Existing users will not have to lift a finger, since the existing Officeapplications will update to the new app automatically, and users will keep their account settings.
While the transition to a single application appears to be purely to keep Microsoft''s cloud office software offerings well-organized for users, the company also used the announcement to tease a slew of new features that will be coming to the existing Microsoft 365 apps before being released.
Microsoft 365 now offers the My Content hub, a central location for all content created by or shared with an individual, to all users. It previously provided the capability to business customers.
A custom tagging system has been created for business users, which allows them to organize content as they see fit, while a new feed will recommend content based on factors like who they work with and what they often work on.
Many of these features are unlikely to break ground. A feed for content recommendations, and the My Content hub, for example, are all kinds of features already available as part of Google Workspace.
With the new Microsoft 365 app, the company has sidestepped the issue of encouraging users to adopt the most appropriate approach of accessing the service, implying that all of the old ones are removed.
It''s a clever business move that will clear up any unanswered notions about what Microsoft 365 is and can offer for all types of users. There remains to be seen whether the app will be more accessible than the current offerings.