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Today's Topics:
1. Ad-supported Microsoft Office bobs to the surface
(Stephen Loosley)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 08 Mar 2025 19:22:17 +1030
From: Stephen Loosley <[email protected]>
To: "link" <[email protected]>
Subject: [LINK] Ad-supported Microsoft Office bobs to the surface
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Looks like soon Windows users can't escape using OneDrive storage?
"Ad-supported Microsoft Office bobs to the surface"
Only a test at the moment, but a sign of things to come?
By Richard Speed Tue 25 Feb 2025
https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/25/adsupported_microsoft_office/
Microsoft is quietly testing the waters with an ad-supported version of its
Office suite.
On offer are desktop versions ? Windows-only by the looks of things ? of Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint. The ad-supported, free version only shows up for a
subset of users.
Those who are offered the ad-supported versions will notice all three have been
pared down; for example, Word lacks features like line spacing and borders,
Excel is missing elements such as conditional formatting and pivot tables, and
PowerPoint does not include animation tools ? though The Reg could argue this
is an improvement.
In addition to missing features, all three will only create, edit, or save
documents using OneDrive. Direct access to local files is off-limits without
paying for a subscription (which will also unlock the missing functionality).
The ads are displayed in a persistent banner on the right-hand side and will
include video ads, which are thankfully muted. Also missing are Microsoft's AI
tools.
The test has been limited, and we could not recreate the findings of
Beebom.com, which first reported the ad-supported tier.
In a statement sent to The Register, a Microsoft spokesperson said the company
"has been conducting some limited testing. Currently, there are no plans to
launch a free, ad-supported version of Microsoft Office desktop apps."
Other news:
LibreOffice still kicking at 40, now with browser tricks and real-time collab
You know something's wrong when Clippy fills you with nostalgia for simpler
times
Copilot invades Microsoft 365 Personal and Family for an extra three bucks a
month
Microsoft investigating 365 Office activation gremlin
That said, it appears things are already well underway, suggesting a broader
rollout of the ad-supported Office desktop applications could happen soon. It
is perhaps also an acknowledgment of the threat posed by some of the free and
open source Office alternatives available as Microsoft increases its prices and
adds extra AI services.
Until the ad-supported incarnation, for most users, getting hold of the desktop
versions of Microsoft productivity apps required parting with some cash, either
as a subscription or as a perpetual license purchase. Notably, these are not
Microsoft's existing web apps repackaged for the desktop but the full desktop
versions with certain functions locked away.
Microsoft has a long and storied history in advertising. In 2023, it tried
shoving ads into the Windows 11 Start Menu, and in 2022, the company
experimented with ads in File Explorer.
At least with an ad-supported version of Office, users would be fully aware of
what they were getting into, even as Microsoft ensures that it can still get
its hooks into them and their data via the requirement for a Microsoft account
and the use of OneDrive storage.
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