Copilot “eats” another slice of the Microsoft brand, but this time perhaps with the risk of confusing users. As planned in December, the Microsoft 365 application is indeed changing again (after Office and Office 365) to become Microsoft 365 Copilot, with a new icon that highlights the component dedicated to artificial intelligence. After the price increase due to the introduction of the AI tool, the Redmond company has now rebranded its Office suite, a change it says is necessary because the previous name “generated confusion”. This implies a new icon and name for the application on all devices from Windows to Mac, via iOS and Android, although on the latter we only received it by installing the beta version. The URL of the online tool would also have changed. Although we haven’t noticed it yet, news has arrived from the United States that office.com and Microsoft365.com are starting to be redirected to m365.cloud.microsoft, while the domain has become M365Copilot.com. But is this really progress? Let’s take a look at the Windows taskbar (but the same goes for all devices): If you have the Copilot icon and Microsoft 365 Copilot nearby, it’s easy to make a mistake.
The Microsoft 365 Copilot app has also changed at the interface level and received several new features that (obviously) put AI at the forefront. When you open it, you will be greeted with a welcome message and the default tab is now Home, from where you can create new Word, PowerPoint, Excel and other Microsoft 365 documents. Under Home, there is the Copilot button, which simply loads copilot.microsoft.com but is integrated deeper into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Beyond that, there are Microsoft apps.
However, the impression is that this is only the beginning, and this is not necessarily a good thing: Microsoft has placed Copilot ahead of the Office suite, then Word, Excel and other company applications. In short, Copilot will be omnipresent, and to give an example to Enterprise users, the service of the same name has been renamed Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Don’t you run the risk of generating more confusion this way?