How to alienate customers the Microsoft way
I’m horrified at Microsoft’s latest money-making plan.
The company has told Office 2019 for Mac owners that they will be unable to edit their documents starting from July 13, arguing that it relates to an expiring digital certificate.
Office 2019 users will see their applications enter what Microsoft calls “reduced functionality mode”, in which they can open, view, and print documents, but won’t be able to create, edit, or save them.
Support, I hardly knew ye
It isn’t actually the certificate that’s at fault. Microsoft has already renewed it, but Microsoft is not offering a software update of Office 2019 for Mac, reserving that update for Microsoft 365 and Office 2021.
The company ceased support for Office 2019 in 2023, just four years after it shipped, which sounds like a far shorter support window than you get for almost any digital product. It plans to cease support for Office 2021 this year.
What I consider to be poor product support aside, Microsoft’s fix for its customers consists of telling them to use its free Microsoft 365 web apps, take out a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, or buy Office 2024 as a one-time purchase – a snip at $200+.
What to do
I have two other suggestions, well, possibly three:
- Move to using Apple’s own productivity apps, which include support for documents in Microsoft formats so you can open, edit, and create them.
- Move to LibreOffice, which is a fantastic productivity suite widely used by governments across Europe which has the distinct advantage of being free.
- If you are an enterprise, consider migrating away from Microsoft Office wherever possible, ideally moving to free alternatives, such as LibreOffice where possible.
Ultimately, for customer treatment like this, and for its ongoing attempt to force Windows upgrades on its customers, it makes little sense to stick with the company.
Though, as is always the nature of things when it comes to entities with colossal market advantage, people will stick with Office, no matter how unhappy they become.
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