No Windows 10, no Office 2019, says Microsoft
- by Fred Ferguson
- in Technology
- — Feb 2, 2018
According to AdDuplex, as of January, 74 percent of Windows 10 users are on the latest version, followed by 17 percent on the Creators Update. The list of devices includes desktops, tablets, Xbox One consoles, HoloLens headsets, and Surface Hub devices, in addition to some dated, Windows 10 Mobile-based smartphones. The desktop Windows version market share in India as of January 2018 for Windows 7 is 54.46 percent, followed by Windows 10 at 28.22 percent, Windows 8.1 at 10.54 percent, Windows XP at 3.6 percent, Windows 8 at 2.95 percent, and lastly Windows Vista at 0.18 percent.
Office 2019 doesn't require a subscription; unlike Office 365. Nearly two years later Microsoft only managed to bring Windows 10 to 600 million active devices. Office 2019 client apps will be released with Click-to-Run installation technology only, but Microsoft will not be offering MSI deployment for Office 2019 clients, only doing so for Office Server products.
Microsoft further noted that while mainstream support for Office 2019 would run for the usual five years, extended support would be curtailed to just two years - down from five years - meaning the suite will run out of support road in 2025. Windows 8.1 is the third most popular version of Windows with an overall share of just 8.72 percent. In the past, perpetual versions of Office were released under the Microsoft Fixed Lifecycle Policy, with a term of 5 years of standard support and 5 years of extended support.
The desktop Office suite will be supported for quite a while to come for the simple reason that despite the fact that Microsoft, Google et al, would like you to think that cloud alternatives are better, there'll always be a market for the apps.
As StatCounter notes, there are geographical differences in when Windows 10 overtook Windows 7. These moves will push IT to migrate to Windows 10 and ensure that any holdouts pay up for Office 365. At the same time, Windows 7 lost 0.03 percentage points. Many customers are already in the process of planning their upgrades, and today's announcements address feedback we've heard from them over the last few months.
Tying Office 2019 to Windows 10 appears to be the latest in a series of moves by Microsoft created to push firms to upgrade from Windows 7 and 8.1, such as scaling back support for older versions of Windows on newer processors and casting doubt on the security of Windows 7.
Looking for support? Visit the Windows 10 IT pro forums.
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