Microsoft Office 2024 is Now Available For Macs and PCs (theverge.com) 73
Microsoft is releasing a new version of Office this week, designed for people that don't want to subscribe to Microsoft 365. From a report: The standalone Microsoft Office 2024 release is now available for both consumers and small businesses, and includes locked-in-time versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook across both Mac and PC. Office 2024 includes a lot of the updates that Microsoft has been delivering to Microsoft 365 subscribers over the past few years.
Microsoft last released a standalone version of Office in 2021, and this new Office 2024 release includes improvements to the core apps, as well as accessibility and UI changes. Office 2024 has a new default theme, with Microsoft's latest Fluent Design principles that match the visual changes to Windows 11. Microsoft has also added accessibility-focused improvements to help Office users find potential accessibility issues in documents, slideshows, workbooks, and emails.
Microsoft last released a standalone version of Office in 2021, and this new Office 2024 release includes improvements to the core apps, as well as accessibility and UI changes. Office 2024 has a new default theme, with Microsoft's latest Fluent Design principles that match the visual changes to Windows 11. Microsoft has also added accessibility-focused improvements to help Office users find potential accessibility issues in documents, slideshows, workbooks, and emails.
No Subscription == Good (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:No Subscription == Good (Score:4, Informative)
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Exactly. I have the 2021 version; happy to upgrade to the 2024 version now.
Subscription-only applications are straight up anti-consumer fishhooks. Looking directly at you, Adobe, you assholes.
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Well, another way to consider it is the subscription to Office is $100/year. Office 2024 is around $300. So it's the same in the end.
However, when you spend $300 for Office, it's for a single PC license - you can use it on one PC at any one time. The subscription for $100 lets you use it on 5 PCs at a time, so you can have it on your main PC, your kid's PC for h
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Why do you feel the need to upgrade? I am sure 2021 will be perfectly serviceable for at least 3 more years... or more likely for the entire life of your PC.
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nonsubscription that you can't use without linking a broken windows store account
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I will buy this.
I've used the 2021 edition: The copy-n-paste functions are severely crippled. (The default copy-as-a-screenshot-image, can be disabled.) The point of these stand-alone releases, is so people can 'read' XLS, DOC and PPT files created with their subscription-driven, not-crippleware products.
Important questions first (Score:3)
Re: Important questions first (Score:3)
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Re: Important questions first (Score:2)
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Updates: Microsoft Office typically receives more frequent updates and new features.
This is the non-sub version of office, so you won't get updates.
Re: Important questions first (Score:2)
The compatibility is very far from 100%, writer is better than calc but even it is far from there. Calc is missing many functions which Excel has, including some which it has had for decades, it is simply not very compatible at all.
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And, in the end, there is the answer:
Microsoft says Office 2024 will require a Microsoft account and an internet connection
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So far (referenced to the non-sub version of Office21), all that's been used for is to let you know you can downgrade to the subscription version of Office any time you like to get whatever new features / fixes you absolutely must have. You can just click the offer away and carry on. I find this to be acceptable; Microsoft's not force-picking my pocket the way Adobe would.
It's also worth pointing out that Office21's sub-
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In my experience, no. I've got 2019, and it still uses an MS account to confirm the license.
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Can I use it without a microsoft account?
I've switched to Libre Office for my personal devices as I rarely use it enough to justify the cost and it does 100% of what I need it to (mostly just quick and dirty spreadsheets for personal budgets, et al). The only hurdle I've had was having to redo the formatting on my CV, 45 mins of my life.
Bring back Clippy! (Score:2)
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Only now, instead of free, you can pay just $20 a month extra for the privilege of adding the "new" Clippy to Office.
I am TOTALLY... (Score:2)
....underwhelmed by my apathy
What has actually improved? (Score:5, Insightful)
I remember looking forward to new MS office updates 20-25 years ago because they actually offered useful new features and genuine usability improvements. Going from Office 97 to Office 2003 was a big jump in quality, and similar from 2003 to 2007 (and less so 2010). But since then, apart from extended language support and accessibility improvements, what have they actually added that is meaningful? Cloud integration stuff? Don't care. AI copilot shit? Don't care. Maybe there are a bunch of features they've added recently that I just don't use, if so, I'd like to hear about them. Anyone?
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On the hardware side:
CPUs still improve, but more in number of cores and power efficiency than in single core performance.
GPUs are improving very fast.
HDDs have peaked and are being replaced by SSDs.
SATA based SSDs have peaked in speed but not in capacity but their M.2 counterpart are still improving everywhere.
Displays are still improving a lot with OLED screens replacing LCD ones.
On the software side:
Windows has peaked and is actually going downhill for power users.
macOS has peaked.
Linux still improves a
Re:What has actually improved? (Score:4)
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With LCD screens, you have to compromise between viewing angles, colors and deep blacks.
You can work around the burn in issue by using a dark theme, which will look much better on an OLED screen.
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In my case, I replaced my Apple laptop six months ago. In the process, my ancient (early 2000s) copy of Office stopped working (new OS + Apple silicon = broken by deprecation). I've been getting by using Libre Office, but a genuine copy of Office would be worth $150 to me. I specifically held off getting the 2021 standalone copy, because I knew this update was coming down the pike.
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Why would they improve anything? They got 95% of companies to pay for a subscription without changing anything. This is the real annoying thing of these subscription services. They don't have to convince anyone to upgrade anymore.
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I remember looking forward to new MS office updates 20-25 years ago because they actually offered useful new features and genuine usability improvements. Going from Office 97 to Office 2003 was a big jump in quality, and similar from 2003 to 2007 (and less so 2010).
2010 was the last version I really liked, and its biggest improvement was the ability to use multiple Exchange mailboxes in a single profile (prior versions required separate profiles, or that secondary mailboxes were set up by IMAP).
Since then, there's been a good amount of Onedrive integration (I hate it, but it's helpful for sending large attachments [Google does the same thing with GDrive]), the ability to open and edit PDFs in Word has gotten to a "good enough" level (not a replacement for Acrobat, but
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In a word, sharing and multi-user features.
The new stuff is all about collaborating on documents. A document can be shared and edited simultaneously by multiple people. They can have comment threads within the document.
If you don't want that kind of sharing, you probably don't need the upgrades.
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For you? Nothing (Score:2)
Cloud integration stuff? Don't care.
You may not care, but the reality is Office is a groupware software. Once the basics of being able to type word documents, create spreadsheets, and read email was done, what is left? There's nothing more you need that can't be met by the Office 2010 if you work by yourself.
Most Office users don't work by themselves. You may not see value in cloud integration stuff, but it is objectively valuable in corporations. The ability to parallel edit, control reviewer comments, get notification of modifications, sync
Re: For you? Nothing (Score:2)
>> For me at home I couldn't give a flying **** about the cloud. For me at work, I can't imaging going back to working without it.
Giddy-yup. Me in a nutshell.
At work: my productivity would dip without the complete O365 suite â" along with OneDrive integration.
At home? I de-Officed my machine earlier this year and started using LibreOffice and Thunderbird.
Do I miss Office? Yeah, sometimes.
It's not the cost that I resented as much as Microsoft relentlessly trying to increase their ad revenue at the
Re:What has actually improved? (Score:4, Insightful)
Anyone?
I use Word 2003 on my personal devices and I've got M365 Apps for Enterprise at the office, so it's not like I don't know and use the current product.
There has not been a single time since I started using 2003 that I've encountered a "if only I had X, Y, or Z" situation.
Yes, yes, 2007 let you use more than 16 colours, and bigger spreadsheets. But it also came with the ribbon bar, chewing up screen space in place of menu shortcuts I already knew. Yes, yes, the latest version has direct OneDrive and Sharepoint in the File|Open dialogues but... the older version doesn't, meaning saving to whatever network drive or USB drive or local folder I want is easier plus it'll use the ODFB client if I really need cloud.
Basically Office has been feature-complete for at least two decades and everything since has been things like "we changed the Outlook icon from orange so it was obvious to blue like Word because... otherwise we'd have to fire our UI designer and he's the boss's cousin so..."
I'm not saying there's nothing in newer versions that someone wants, but there's very little that anyone needs.
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Basically Office has been feature-complete for at least two decades and everything since has been things like "we changed the Outlook icon from orange so it was obvious to blue like Word because... otherwise we'd have to fire our UI designer and he's the boss's cousin so..." I'm not saying there's nothing in newer versions that someone wants, but there's very little that anyone needs.
As I suspected, I just thought I'd ask before I declared it as fact.
2007 SP3 FTW! (Score:2)
I still use this old version in my updated 64-bit W10 Pro PC. I hope I can keep using in the future versions. I don't use advanced features in Word and Excel. I also have updated LibreOffice as a back up.
Which Macs aren't PCs exactly? (Score:4)
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The headline implies Macs are not PCs. Macs are PCs.
Not in common parlance.
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The headline implies Macs are not PCs. Macs are PCs.
You are technically correct! The best kind of correct.
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Apple would like you not to think that way about their product.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
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Apple disagrees. They ran entire marketing campaigns to that effect.
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A personal computer is a computer that is two things:
1) Small and inexpensive enough for a typical person to personally own and comfortably place in their home. This of course includes microcomputers, but also smaller devices like game consoles, telephones, etc.
2) Runs a general-purpose operating system. Examples are MS Windows, GNU/Linux, MacOS, BeOS, TempleOS, etc.
Most game co
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If you mean microcomputer, just say microcomputer.
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The headline implies Macs are not PCs. Macs are PCs.
In that case the headline implies that Microsoft office 2024 is now available for Linux...
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And also it doesn't run on all PCs, just Windows PCs. I'd argue that Macs aren't PCs anymore since they're back on ARM :)
choice (Score:2)
I still have 2019 and it works great. They have not yet provided a compelling incentive to upgrade. And with a fixed license I don't have to. At least until 2019 no longer works with newer OS's.
Subscription models are great for a company, terrible for a consumer. The opposite is true as well for fixed price versions. We were lucky in that before the advent of e-commerce, subscriptions were not frictionless for either party. The only time you'd find that kind of licensing was for very high end spe
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I still have 2019 and it works great. They have not yet provided a compelling incentive to upgrade.
The reason to upgrade is the most insidious: Once 2019 reaches end-of-life, it won't be able to access e-mails on Office365 accounts. Certainly, this won't affect existing users or the ability to edit Word documents or Excel sheets, but that's the big push (and I wouldn't be surprised if Onedrive integration breaks around that time, also).
Awesome (Score:2)
Now Mac users can experience the hate and frustration that comes from using Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc etc etc.
The subscription should include a free bottle of Xanax and coupons for unlimited tequila.
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Granted, they were running on Windows For Workgroups at the time, so this was several versions ago. (I switched to StarOffice before Sun bought and renamed it, and have stuck with OOo to this day, because I like it.)
Will Require a Microsoft Account (Score:3)
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The full family plan of Microsoft 365 is a DEAL! (Score:5, Insightful)
What I posted a year and a half ago AND three years ago still stands today... (copy-pasta follows)
Potentially Unpopular Opinion: the Microsoft 365 Family Annual Subscription plan is a fantastic deal if you have a lot of family members, and devices, and could use a huge amount of online storage/backup/file syncing.
For $100 a year, here's what your Office 365 license gets you:
- Full use of the installable versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Publisher, and Access, plus OneNote (although OneNote is now free for anyone to use, it integrates with the rest of Office 365).
- These installations work on ALL your devices: Windows PCs, Macintoshes, Android devices (phone/tablets/ChromeOS), iPhones, iPads. So in my case, I have Office installed on my Windows desktop, my laptop, my *other* desktop, my MacBook, my Android phone, my Android tablet, and my Chromebook. All for one license.
- One TB (!) of online storage (or backup) on Microsoft OneDrive for your documents, music, photos, or whatever, using a Dropbox-like syncing tool that works across devices if you like, so I can access all my files and photos across all my devices all the time from anywhere, or just use it as an off-site backup. Acronis charges about this much for 1TB of online storage just by itself. Carbonite is like $80 a year. iDrive is like $70 a year. If you were going to use an online backup tool for lots of stuff, then you might as well do Office 365 - it's like paying for the online storage you were looking for, and getting all the Office applications for free.
- Full access to the online versions of MS Office. So if I'm at someone else's PC or at a business center in a hotel, or using the PWA version on my Chromebook, or need to do some office work on my Linux box, I can open up (a semi-reduced feature version of) Word or Excel in a web browser, and if I'm using OneDrive (and I am), I can access all my files from that browser too.
- And then I can have 5 family members do all this too, all on the same license, because that $100 a year is for the whole family! So my wife each gets all these apps on all her devices, and she gets 1TB of device-syncing OneDrive storage too. So does my kid. So does my Mom. So does my Father in Law. So each person is getting all this stuff, including 1TB of online storage EACH, for about $20 a year.
Now don't get me wrong, I've used and recommended LibreOffice for years too, and I fully respect its capabilities, but Microsoft's pricing model for Office reminds me of Netflix vs. Torrents for movies: yes, Torrents are free, but Netflix is so much quality content for so little money, if you can swing a few bucks a month, it's worth it. So is Office 365.
Yes, yes, Hail Corporate.
(Ninja 2024 edit: now you also get a lot of extra online content and apps for your license too. Other than product names, everything I wrote 3 years ago still applies. If you have 6 friends who need Office and a TB of online storage, each of you chip in $18 a year and stop worrying about licenses.)
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THIS is why I subscribed. I started out looking for a cloud backup solution, considering software such as CrashPlan, and found that Microsoft's OneDrive was more generous for the price, and threw in Office too.
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Wait, Linux isn't fully supported? Ooh noooh, it's still not the year of the Linux desktop.... :'-(
What happened here (Score:2)
What is it with people here ? People happy with this new M/S Office, even when it requires a Microsoft Login and Internet access. That requirements is the #1 reason not to use Microsoft Office.
Libreoffice is just as good, you may have to learn new ways of doing the same thing, but so what. Even a typewriter and an adding machine is better than Office with what I can only deem is loaded with spyware.
Why else do you need an ID and an Internet connection to use it ? Do not say piracy, that is really BS. M
Kind of surprised... (Score:3)
I know they said they would release non-subscription versions every three years, but I honestly thought this would be a enterprise only thing. Guess somebody at MS still remembers this is a good revenue stream to maintain.
Goodness knows some Adobe people would be thrilled to have the option, that's for sure.
Another reason to hug Google Workspace harder (Score:1)