Microsoft told customers months ago that it would do so for Office 2016, but not surprisingly, has made no follow-up pledge for the version after that. Yet with the emphasis on Office 365 as the delivery vehicle for Office, there's no guarantee that Microsoft will continue to sell one-time, perpetual SKUs. Office 365 subscribers, of course, may not be affected by the support shortage, as long as they continue to maintain the subscription, because Microsoft will presumably refresh the Mac suite for those customers. The support shortfall is most glaring for that $230 SKU (stock-keeping unit).Īnd Microsoft's push on Office 365, which touts not only rights to run Office 2016 on Windows but also on Apple's OS X, makes the policy nonsensical: Office 365 has been widely adopted by corporations, which have increasingly moved to support Macs, whether company-issued or worker-owned.
#MICROSOFT OFFICE HOME AND BUSINESS 2016 FOR MAC FOR MAC#
"This extension does not change the five-year support policy for other Office for Mac products, including future versions," a Microsoft product manager said at the time.Īlthough Microsoft does not make an enterprise-class Office suite for Mac, the more expensive Office Home & Business 2016 for the Mac is aimed at office workers, as it includes the Outlook email client, a staple in business. In the first instance, Microsoft made clear the support postponement was not a change in policy. In 2009, the company extended support for Office 2004 for Mac by 27 months to give users additional time to upgrade to Office 2011 it did the same this summer by adding 21 months to Office 2011's support, again to give customers the promised "2 years after the successor product is released."
Consumer-grade software receives Mainstream support only.Īt times, as the FAQ indicated, Microsoft has been flexible about Office for Mac support. Meanwhile, Extended delivers security updates only. The former includes not only security patches, but also feature changes and non-security bug fixes. Microsoft breaks its usual decade of support into two five-year parts: Mainstream and Extended.
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