Microsoft announced two future versions of the Office suite, one for regular users and the other for commercial users. Office 2021 will be released later this year, while Office LTSC (Long-range service channel) To business-oriented systems that cannot maintain a stable internet connection – LTSC systems are updated sometimes less than once a year.
Office 2021 Consumer Edition will be a simple suite of document management software that does not require a subscription to Microsoft 365, and will be a one-time package of applications that can be used for five years. Like the previous version of these programs, Office 2019, it will be intended for people and small businesses who do not want a Microsoft 365 subscription, allowing the use of the Office suite on any device, but requiring registration and internet connection outside at a rate of less than every thirty days.
It is not yet known what innovations we will receive with the updated Office applications, but The Verge indicates that Office LTSC will have an improved user interface and support for dark mode – similar innovations are expected to prevail in the regular versions of the office applications.
With regard to Office LTSC and its necessity, Microsoft first clarifies that this version of the suite has a completely different use scenario: “It is intended for regulated systems, which in some cases remain without updates for more than a year – process controllers in the manufacturing sector; which are not related Typically with the Internet and specialized systems with limited internet access and long-term service, the tech giant expects companies to use Office LTSC only in specific scenarios, rather than distributing this version to all computers in the office.
A Microsoft 365 spokesperson told The Verge that a very large percentage of users have moved to the cloud and started using Office 365 in the past 10 months. At the same time, the company is convinced that there are many customers who for some reason are unable or unwilling to work in the cloud and prefer to purchase a long-term version of the program knowing that they will not have to worry about anything for the next five years.
