Only have one computer at home? Then Microsoft's announcement on April 15 of Office 365 Personal could be the perfect fit for your space.
Delivering all the specifications of the Office suite, the Personal version is cheaper than its older sibling and the company is pushing it as a great option for the individual user.
"Coming this Spring, Office 365 Personal is a new, great option for people interested in using Office 365. It's designed for an individual, allows for one PC or Mac and one tablet to be connected to the service and will be available for $69.99 USD/year or $6.99 USD/ month (ERP)1. We recognize that there are households of all shapes and sizes and we're committed to delivering the right Office for everyone - whether that be one person or an entire household," the company stated.
The price includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others, for one device. This could be an iPad, laptop or other compatible device, but only for one of them. While Office 365 Home delivers installations for up to five devices, be tablets or computers, Personal is for only one computer or tablet, but is offset by the cheaper price.
This idea is part of Microsoft's continued effort to boost Office sales after it reported some 12 million people downloaded the software for the iPad in the first seven days after its launch on March 27.
The company did not report how many users kept the product after the trial period.
If a Personal user wants to pay for 12 months up-front, they save almost $14 and this made many expect a nice bump for Microsoft in the word processing and Office software in the coming days and weeks.
The announcement comes as the company continues the attempt to maintain its position atop the market through Office software and updates. The Office 365 Personal also maintains its cloud OneDrive space for the one user at 20 GB of space. This is in line with the 100 GB allowed on Office through five different devices.
If users upgrade from Personal to the Business option from Microsoft, they do get an additional number of available options that streamline work for the business world.
In many ways, the move to offer Office 365 Personal to individuals is part of an overall branding idea that industry leaders believe will be a bonus for Microsoft users in having the flexibility to choose their software. It also makes it easier and slightly more affordable for personal users who work mainly from their own laptop and have no need for the multiple downloads Office 365 Home currently has. This, Microsoft hopes, will continue to create interest in the product, which had been on the decline in recent years due to the price tag.
