What would you say to a consumer version of Microsoft 365? One that could include Windows 10, Office 365, Skype, Cortana, Outlook Mobile and perhaps a few other services?
Maybe even some products?
If this sounds exciting, then you’d be pleased to know that the software titan is preparing such a thing.
If not, well, such is life.
Surprising for some, expected for others, the news of the moment is that Microsoft is reportedly ready to launch a consumer flavor of its popular subscription service. Geared towards home users, this one will be named — wait for it — Microsoft 365 Consumer.
Good old Mary Jo Foley was the first to report on this, revealing a job posting for a Product Manager for the M365 Consumer Subscription that the Seattle based company put up.
Apparently, Redmond is putting together a crew, a new team to build and scale this subscription bundle for home users. This will, obviously, be an option not a requirement, meaning Windows 10 will continue to be available for purchase, and new PCs will ship with the operating system installed out the box.
However, the company could well pack in select services, perhaps even some apps for a monthly fee.
And if we are talking about monthly fees, Microsoft could also tie this subscription to Surface devices, like the Surface Go, for instance.
Or even additional hardware in the form of Xbox One for gamers and families that want in on console gaming. In that case, the technology titan would do well to throw in Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions as well.
Whatever the case, things are in the earliest of stages right now. But considering the success of the original Microsoft 365 for enterprise customers, there is every chance of this happening.
Microsoft, if you recall, introduced this concept in July 2017 at its Inspire partner event, as an integrated collection of Windows 10, Office 365 and Enterprise Mobility + Security sold on a subscription basis.
Engaging consumers via a similar approach simply makes sense for Microsoft.
What are your thoughts on this?
Excited? Electrified?
