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| Microsoft Office 2021 will be released on October 5th |
Microsoft will launch a new consumer version of the Microsoft Office productivity suite for Windows and macOS on October 5th, the same day the company officially launched Windows 11.
While some people have moved to cloud-based Microsoft 365, which automatically updates Microsoft Office apps with the latest features if you have a valid subscription, some of us may not want to sign up to use Word or Excel. For this reason, the company has offered a permanently licensed version of the productivity suite.
Microsoft Office 2021 is an upgrade to the Microsoft Office 2019 suite.
While the company hasn't officially announced the new feature, it was expecting a preview of what we can expect in a mass release for business and government customers called the Microsoft Office Long-Term Service Channel (LTSC).
These features include dark mode support, new Excel functionality and formulas that support dynamic matrices, a better way to find groups of cells, and improved recording of PowerPoint slides.
In addition, version 1.3 of the OpenDocument format adds support for multiple applications. Outlook benefits from improved search and better translation options within the app, and supports more than 70 languages.
The company said it will support the new group for five years, which is slightly shorter than the seven years granted by the previous group.
However, this version is permanent, which means that there will not be any consistent updates to features such as subscriptions through Microsoft 365. This version is also suitable for users who need a one-time purchase option.
Microsoft announced a new version of its productivity suite
The new version will not include real-time collaboration or AI-based automation for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
When you want access to the latest cloud-based features. Includes a variety of new remote collaboration tools. You need to subscribe to Microsoft 365.
The company has not yet announced a price. But as reported in February, the one-time purchase price for individual users and small businesses remains unchanged.
While the company certainly wants people to use Microsoft 365, licenses for new packages are almost certainly cheaper than subscriptions.