Microsoft Office, Windows, and Subscriptions

by Rian

Subscription is the new bane of the internet. It’s been the bane of the modern technology as many users would wail. We are living in a world where some products and services are inherently subscription-based, where it is simply not possible to acquire the said products or services without subscription, say Netflix. But this isn’t about some shows exclusively on Netflix. No, this is about products that were originally sold as one-time-purchase, now in the process of rough transition to subscription model.

Neither Microsoft Office nor Windows were offered with mandatory “upgrade” policy until the recent years. Windows 10 is about to reach its end of support in October 2025, and any security updates thereafter will be provided via paid subscription for consumers. Microsoft Office is still offered with one-time-purchase but only on PCs and Macs; on smart devices, a subscription is still mandatory.

Microsoft Office, for better or worse, is less an issue than Windows; there are alternative, be it may how crude, other suites are available, and the office itself is still available on limited selection of platforms for the existing pricing model. Again, I do want to emphasize the root of the problem. Microsoft Office was traditionally offered for one-time-purchase, and the suite didn’t need an upgrade for average users for at least a good 3-4 years. Now the suite is offered at $69.99/year, slightly less than half of the one-time-purchase price of $149.99. Between $69.99 and $99.99 for family, some may even call it a ‘reasonable’ deal. I would argue that it isn’t, but first let’s discuss the heavier subject.

Windows 10 is about to charge its first subscription upon all existing users, $30/year. Bear in mind, the price is only set for the first year —Microsoft has not disclosed whether or not they would continue providing ESU after the first year, let alone will it stay the same price. For any users who are running a productivity machine (i.e. PC for working), we are being told Microsoft has $100/year plan in shop for legacy machines. Emphasis on legacy, because not only Windows 11 has stricter requirements, newer machines are still offered with dubious subscription-free Windows license. On these legacy machines, you cannot install a new OS, either you take your chances with lack of security updates like many of us did with Windows XP, or you go buy a new PC.

I’ve seen fair shares of threads and pleads from Linux users to simply consider alternatives; there are greener grasses on the other side. The reality is, for average consumers, Linux is just as bleak. Aside from IT, Linux is not the most popular commercial workstation. Even in the IT, Linux isn’t the magic word that will fix the market. Currently Linux is just a corporate verbatim for POSIX. Nothing stops Linux distros from user-hostile practices. How many people would be willing to jump the wagon when a distro fails to live up to its promise? Most people don’t even dare to clean install their Windows PC to fix a problem. I doubt any of them would seriously consider switching distros.

On more slightly optimistic note, there is one good giveaway from this: there is a hidden cost of building a PC, and that cost now has at least been tagged. I’ve seen too many hobbyists not counting the price of softwares before they start building their dream PC. Microsoft may take credit cards, but it’s like tipping —sometimes it gets outrageous.