Microsoft intends to introduce a fresh one-time purchase variant of Microsoft Office 2024 for both Windows and macOS throughout 2024. The new edition, dubbed Office LTSC, will come with a 10 percent price hike, while the consumer version will maintain its existing price point.
The focus of Microsoft’s announcement is primarily on Office Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC), which is set to enter commercial preview in April. LTSC 2024 targets enterprise systems that cannot sustain continuous internet connections required by the cloud-based Microsoft 365. Details regarding feature updates for the consumer version are expected to surface later.
Although Microsoft didn’t delve into exhaustive details about LTSC 2024 enhancements, it confirmed several additions for Excel, such as Dynamic Charts and Arrays. Additionally, Outlook’s search and meeting creation tools are set to receive improvements. Notably, Office 2024 will exclude Publisher, with Microsoft planning to phase out the application by 2026.
Surprisingly, Microsoft opted not to include AI-powered tools for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in the perpetual license edition of Office. This decision aligns with Redmond’s strategy to emphasize a subscription-based AI push this year.
Office 2024 will offer support for Windows 11, Windows 10, and macOS, catering to both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. Similar to previous iterations, both the LTSC and consumer versions of Office 2024 will receive five years of feature updates during mainstream support, followed by an “extended support” phase focusing solely on security updates.
