Office 365 is dead. Long live Microsoft 365

[nlinecomputers]

Microsoft to rebrand some Office 365 commercial plans as 'Microsoft 365'

https://www.zdnet.com/article/micro...office-365-commercial-plans-as-microsoft-365/

The TL: DR of it is that Microsoft is rebranding most of the SMB versions of Office 365 as Microsoft 365 with some better names:

Plans which are affected by the change include:

• Office 365 Business Essentials will be rebranded as Microsoft 365 Business Basic
• Office 365 Business Premium will be rebranded Microsoft 365 Business Standard
• Office 365 Business and Office 365 Pro Plus will be called Microsoft 365 Apps, with Microsoft using "for business" and "for enterprise" as labels to distinguish the two where necessary.

One other related name change announced today which isn't Office 365 specifically: Microsoft 365 Business -- which unlike the Office 365 plans above, already does include device management -- will be rebranded Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

Plans which are not affected by the M365 name change and which will keep their existing names:

 

[Sky-Knight]

Announced an age ago, and finally branded to match reality...

Windows is dead... Office is dead... Microsoft 365 is everything

 

[britechguy]

Windows is dead...

Strange that Microsoft hasn't noticed this. Even if they're not making a penny on Windows 10 itself, it's the primary chassis upon which all other Microsoft software is placed.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Strange that Microsoft hasn't noticed this. Even if they're not making a penny on Windows 10 itself, it's the primary chassis upon which all other Microsoft software is placed.

Not so much anymore. You can use M365's functionality from Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Linux platforms equally. Windows 10 is more integrated sure, easier to use but it's far from the only supported platform today.

 

[nlinecomputers]

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mic...-offerings-small-and-medium-sized-businesses/

 

[britechguy]

Not so much anymore. You can use M365's functionality from Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Linux platforms equally. Windows 10 is more integrated sure, easier to use but it's far from the only supported platform today.

I never said it wasn't available on other platforms, but, lets face it, the majority of Microsoft's user base is "Microsoft all the way," and I don't see that changing at any time in the foreseeable future.

But they've gotten very, very smart about making sure that other platforms work well with their own products. A win-win for all concerned.

 

[fincoder]

Microsoft to rebrand some Office 365 commercial plans as 'Microsoft 365'

And not just commercial plans, also consumer plans:
https://www.thurrott.com/cloud/micr...t-announces-consumer-version-of-microsoft-365

 

[MDD1963]

Strange that Microsoft hasn't noticed this. Even if they're not making a penny on Windows 10 itself, it's the primary chassis upon which all other Microsoft software is placed.

Despite consumers being allowed to use Win10 in an 'not yet activated' state, I rather doubt that the large OEMs such as HP or Dell, etc., are being given Win10 Home or WIn10 Pro for free, as it does still sell for $90/$135 or so, respectively, even in OEM download form.... (I also rather doubt the OEMs are going to SCDKey and the likes for their needs, either)

 

[timeshifter]

So for all those ignorant people who used to ask (when they're looking for Word or Excel) "does it come with Microsoft?", we'll now be able to say "yes, it does". And they won't sound so clueless.

 

[britechguy]

. . . I rather doubt that the large OEMs such as HP or Dell, etc., are being given Win10 Home or WIn10 Pro for free, as it does still sell for $90/$135 or so, respectively, even in OEM download form.... (I also rather doubt the OEMs are going to SCDKey and the likes for their needs, either)

I have no doubt that you're correct. I am not of the opinion that Microsoft is giving away Windows 10 to the OEMs and is raking in the bucks via that channel alone.

But there are some who seem to insist that Windows 10 is not a profit center. I believe it is, in and of itself, and definitely is as the primary scaffold for all other things Microsoft.

 

[Sky-Knight]

The move to M365 has always been about trying to edge the desktop OS into the productivity software as a sub, to offset the costs of security patching.

I'd be grumpy about that... but along the way MS lost the mobile device market, and wound up having to build a pretty magical set of tools that just works just about everywhere. So for the time being at least, I say pay the sub! Because unlike most SaaS offerings, 365 is actually worth it.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Years ago most of us knew it was coming and talked about it eventually happening...."Windows as a service/subscription".
Here we are! Surprised? Nope. Refer to my prior sentence.

As for Microsoft not making a penny from Windows 10? I'd say they've been making a pretty good penny. Yes...even with all the "free" Windows upgrades from 7/8 to 10....sure they didn't make as much as we'd think they made on purely selling OS upgrade SKUs like in prior OS's...but...think of that little bit of "free upgrades to 10" being a loss-leader. Allows better integration with more subscription services. And OS sales is the smallest category of their overall sales. Their highest category % of total sales is Productivity and Business Processes. Second place is Intelligent Cloud. Personal Computing...is in last place of the 3 categories.

 

[brandonkick]

Years ago most of us knew it was coming and talked about it eventually happening...."Windows as a service/subscription".
Here we are! Surprised? Nope. Refer to my prior sentence.

As for Microsoft not making a penny from Windows 10? I'd say they've been making a pretty good penny. Yes...even with all the "free" Windows upgrades from 7/8 to 10....sure they didn't make as much as we'd think they made on purely selling OS upgrade SKUs like in prior OS's...but...think of that little bit of "free upgrades to 10" being a loss-leader. Allows better integration with more subscription services. And OS sales is the smallest category of their overall sales. Their highest category % of total sales is Productivity and Business Processes. Second place is Intelligent Cloud. Personal Computing...is in last place of the 3 categories.

Well... you can look at this a few ways. The income from selling Windows was basically always from the OEM's and not from the average Joe walking into staples for an upgrade copy of Windows 98. The lions share of the income, anyways.. and secondly every person who opts to get windows 10 "for free" is another person who isn't out giving apple $1,000 or $2,000 for a mac product. Them "giving away" windows is costing Apple a sale. I get the idea that it's not 1 to 1.... nothing is going to say a person can't upgrade their Win 7 desktop for free, and then go buy a mac anyhow and use both... but I think on average being able to upgrade for free can potentially cost another player a sale. Plus I think M$ envisioned their money would be made on 0365 subscriptions and on the windows store.

 

[MDD1963]

I am rather shocked they are allowing folks to run WIn10 in an inactivated state beyond the 1 month...; that in effect makes it free, essentially, if there are no limitations...