The news came as a blow to the millions of users of the office suite. The American giant announced a substantial increase in the prices of its office suite, effective immediately for new subscribers. This decision marks a turning point in the company's strategy, which had not touched its prices for more than a decade.
A technological revolution at a high price
The numbers speak for themselves. The Microsoft 365 Family offer goes from 99 to 129 euros per year, an increase of 30%. Even more spectacular, the Personal subscription jumps from 69 to 99 euros annually, representing an increase of 43%.. Microsoft justifies this inflation by integrating Copilot, its generative AI assistant, directly into flagship applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
The timing of this announcement is not trivial. Microsoft seeks to monetize its colossal investments in artificial intelligence, notably the $13 billion injected into OpenAI since 2019. The company also plans to invest an additional 80 billion in AI by 2025, a dizzying sum which partly explains this aggressive pricing strategy.
The integration of Copilot in the Microsoft 365 suite promises to radically transform the user experience. The wizard can generate complete documents in Word, analyze complex data in Excel, or create elaborate presentations in PowerPoint with just a few clicks. But this power comes at a cost, and Microsoft has chosen to pass it on directly to its customers.
The system put in place is based on monthly credits, limiting the use of Copilot. This approach allows Microsoft to control infrastructure costs, which are particularly important for AI services. Faced with 400 million Microsoft 365 users, this limitation appears to be as much a technical as an economic necessity.
A strategy that divides the market
Microsoft's strategy intervenes in a particular context. Google, its main competitor, also announced a price increase for its Workspace suite, varying from 12 to 22%, to finance the integration of its Gemini AI. This widespread increase in prices in the industry reveals a common desire to monetize advances in artificial intelligence.
-For users resistant to this increase, Microsoft is temporarily offering a “Classic” version of its suite, devoid of AI functionalities but retaining the previous prices. This alternative could appeal to more traditional users, reluctant to experiment with AI or simply concerned about their budget.
Reception remains mixed, particularly in the professional sector. A GCS Technologies study finds that some large companies have frozen the deployment of Copilot, citing data security concerns. Feedback from consultants in the field also shows some disappointments regarding the real performance of the tool.
Faced with this reluctance, Microsoft recently launched Copilot Chat, a more flexible version of its assistant, billed on a per-use basis.
- Microsoft increases prices of its 365 suite by up to 43% to integrate Copilot AI
- A “Classic” version without AI remains available at the old prices
- The market reacts in a mixed way, between promises of innovation and concerns about costs
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