Microsoft 365 – The new Windows operating system subscription?

According to the Verge, Microsoft 365 will include Office 365, Skype, One Drive and Outlook but it is unclear if there will be any Windows 10 licencing like there is with the enterprise version of the bundle. The Office home users already have operating systems as it is something that comes pre-installed when purchasing a computer, we can only speculate at this moment – perhaps Windows 10 will contain additional features like it does with the Pro version or perhaps new computers in the future will require users to pay subscription fees for both operating system and Office tools as a bundle.

The IT industry has been trying to create reoccurring profit in order to make measurable and stable capital inflow and subscriptions have been the perfect driver to achieve this, great examples of this model include Netflix and Amazon Prime. Many companies are beginning to follow suit, with Microsoft being one of them.

For quite some time Microsoft has been slowly phasing out traditional Office by providing less and less tools, leaving the 2019 package with just essentials such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel. On the other hand, Microsoft began providing more tools in their Office 365 package, making it a more attractive option with more tools, automatic updates and lower price, but there’s a catch – it is a subscription. This move makes a clear statement on what direction Microsoft will be taking in the future.

At this stage, it is still unclear what could be included in Microsoft 365. One thing is certain though, the subscription model is here to stay, but will it extend to the point where in order to use our home computers, we will have to pay a subscription fee?