Microsoft introduces Office 2024: A new twist on classic software

The naming conventions for Office variants can be very confusing, and for the first few years, many people thought the subscription version, referred to as "streaming" Office 365, was browser-only, and that the classic applications were still being sold with a lifetime license. With the advent of Office 2016, the default method of purchasing Office became the subscription version, which delivers the same classic applications as the "lifetime" version.

Purchasing a non-subscription version has become increasingly difficult and more expensive since then. Gone are the days when a full version of the suite could be bought for 66 CAD. While one might be nostalgic for those times, it's worth noting that Professional versions have traditionally always cost over 330 CAD, and the promotional 2007 Home edition was a one-time exception.

The non-subscription version of Office now only receives five years of updates and, importantly, there is no guarantee of connectivity with Microsoft's cloud services throughout the support period. It also does not include AI tools or extended OneDrive storage capacity.

Though it requires only a one-time fee, consumers may find it insufficiently flexible precisely because of the lack of cloud compatibility. It will also receive very few new features; what is available at the beginning will remain roughly unchanged until the end of the support period in 2030.

An extreme case is the LTSC variant, available under volume licensing for businesses and institutions. Purchasing it is even harder than buying the regular version with a lifetime license, and no changes will be seen at all. LTSC will only receive security updates, which will be delivered through the same Click-to-Run streaming mechanism as the subscription versions.

The "boxed" Office is created based on snapshots of the subscription variant's state. Approximately every three years, Microsoft "freezes" a set of features developed continuously and sells them as a classic version that does not require a subscription or network access (except for activation). Office has now been developed in a "rolling release" mode, without new major releases. The main version number has been 16.0 for nearly a decade, with new features added progressively and consistently.

What are the new features in the 2024 version? In the case of Access, these are issues related to integration with Teams and Edge and macro signing. Excel has received 14 new text and array functions and the ability to insert images into cells with the =IMAGE function. PowerPoint includes features that facilitate the creation of seminar presentations, including captions and export to video formats.

All applications support new accessibility features, a new interface, and compliance with the OpenDocument 1.4 format. This last point represents a curious course correction. A suite once infamous for its lack of interoperability, then for its open yet highly complex formats (DOCX), and later for its faulty compatibility (ODF 1.1) today offers compliance with an open format... in a still-unreleased version.

Office 2024 includes Publisher, though it will lose support after two years and will not be installed. It's also pleasing to see Outlook in the classic version. Despite the intense push for the "new version of Outlook" rewritten from scratch with a cloud backend, Microsoft shares the opinion of thousands of users in the business version: the new Outlook is far from ready to replace the predecessor. Thus, Office 2024 will include the classic Outlook. However, there is no certainty that it will not quickly lose the ability to connect with Microsoft's consumer email services.

The "lifetime" version of Office can be recommended today only to those who prioritize the lack of need for network connectivity and do not use any Microsoft cloud services, including email and OneDrive. In all other cases, the subscription version makes much more sense. That is, of course, if Office is even needed at all.