Image source: Mac World

Microsoft Office has proven itself the best choice for office work for decades, but now it’s renowned.

After operating for more than three decades, the software suite is changing its name and icon in November.

The announcement

Bill Gates introduced Microsoft Office to the world 34 years ago, in 1988.

Since then, it has undergone many changes over the years, including removing the Clippy assistant, which divided users.

According to Microsoft, the company thinks it’s time to rebrand with a new name, icon and look.

The website wrote:

“Over the last couple of years, Microsoft 365 has evolved into our flagship productivity suite, so we are creating an experience to help you get the most out of Microsoft 365.”

“In the coming months, Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows will become the Microsoft 365 app, with a new icon, a new look, and even more features.”

Changes

Microsoft’s changes will arrive in November, and Office.com will be the first to undergo a rebranding.

The Office for Windows and Mobile app will be renamed in January 2023.

However, the names of the individual programs, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, remain the same.

Microsoft assured customers that their accounts would not be affected by the changes.

The company said an update would automatically change only the icon and name.

Microsoft also announced that the Microsoft Office brand would not disappear anytime soon.

The software suite still offers one-time purchases of the Office suite through Office 2021 and Office LTSC subscriptions.

Time and technology

The Microsoft Office name change announcement came months after the company discontinued Internet Explorer.

The web browser has been around for almost 30 years.

Although it has been revised in recent years, Internet Explorer was once well-received.

It was released in the mid-1990s as an add-on for Windows 95.

It has been the most popular web browser for years, as 95% of online users used it to access the internet in 2003.

However, newer, more innovative and faster browsers soon entered the market, overshadowing Internet Explorer.

The latest update dates back to 2013 before Microsoft replaced the browser with Edge in 2015.

In June 2022, Internet Explorer made its exit, joining Clippy and Power Pup.

Reference:

Microsoft Office is getting renamed after more than 30 years