Mainstream Support is usually available for five years after a product is released. Microsoft is saying that if you buy Office licences under the ‘old’ single payment system, you’ll only get access to the related cloud services while mainstream support is available for that software. But it’s meaning is clear – anyone who has bought Office with a single payment rather than an annual fee. Microsoft is using the term Office ‘perpetual’ which is a little strange because the term ‘perpetual’ isn’t used in any of Redmond’s own product listings. This applies to any business users who have purchased Office licences with a ‘one-off’ payment rather than an annual subscription plan. There’ll be another summer Olympics and nearly the next US Presidential election before the changes kick in.ġ3 October 2020 is the date when Office 2016 for Windows will end its ‘mainstream support’ period.Īs we’ll see later, this announcement should have been made in September 2015 – almost a 18 months ago.
13 October 2020Īll the changes will happen in over three years from now.
Let’s try to clear up the situation, starting with the effective date. The purpose is clear and part of Redmond’s ongoing strategy to move customers to annual payments for Office.Īs usual the headlines don’t tell the whole story. It’s ‘veiled’ only if the veil is wrapped around a brick. The move is certainly aimed to do that but it’s hardly ‘veiled’.
Some commentators are calling it a ‘veiled’ attempt by Microsoft to switch customers from the single-payment purchase to the annual ‘subscription’ system. Microsoft has announced reductions in service for customers who bought the ‘perpetual licence’ or one-off version of Office 2016 for Windows.
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