- Reports have surfaced about a Microsoft Office rebrand, but it’s not all it seems
- Microsoft’s central app is for files, scanning, editing, and interacting with AI
- Customers aren’t happy that AI is being pushed on them
There’s a whole lot of confusion surrounding Microsoft’s supposed rebrand of Microsoft Office – with some users noticing a new message on the Office.com website.
This message states; “The Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly Office) lets you create, share and collaborate all in one place with your favorite apps now including Copilot.”
This is a change from the previous name, ‘Microsoft Office’, but this change happened in 2022. The change was implemented to push consumers into using the Microsoft 365 Copilot app which, for the last year has been used as an access point for the Office apps alongside Copilot.
Microsoft wants you to think ‘Copilot’, not ‘Office’
It’s likely that these changes have caused confusion because of Microsoft’s extended efforts to push Copilot onto its customers, whether they like it or not.
The change (whenever it happened), has prompted concern amongst users and critics, who are worried this may not only cause some confusion but also end the Office name, which has become an industry-agnostic icon (as evidenced by its $30+ billion quarterly revenue).
This means that apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will be accessed through the M365 Copilot app. But – it also marks an even bigger push for generative AI tools.
For example, Office.com now redirects to a new M365 page, which offers subscriptions for Redmond’s popular Office apps with Copilot subscriptions included by default.
The rebrand confusion has also coincided with recent price hikes, adding to customer frustration.
Microsoft’s central M365 Copilot app is being marketed as an all-in-one productivity suite, which can be used for accessing files, scanning documents, editing work, and interacting with Copilot.
Markets that don’t currently have access to Copilot will make do without the Copilot tab in the app, but the Microsoft 365 Copilot name and icon will remain for branding consistency. Non-paying customers will also be restricted from accessing Copilot’s AI features.
The app is different from the Copilot app, which is the native way to interact with Redmond’s AI chatbot.
Office’s rebrand also served as the perfect opportunity for Microsoft to start using its new domains – pages previously under the office.com and microoft365.com domains are now redirected to m365.cloud.microsoft.
Following CEO Satya Nadella’s recent plea for people to stop concerning themselves with AI slop and to focus on the tech’s meaningful impacts, the term ‘Microslop’ was coined. One that has also been used in response to the renamed app being pushed on users, regardless of their AI needs.
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