Only in a few countries…for now
(Image credit: Microsoft 365/YouTube)
Nobody likes a price hike but Microsoft is preparing to raise the cost of its 365 subscriptions to “ensure Microsoft customers are among the first to access powerful AI features in our apps.”
The (somewhat) good new is it’s only happening in a few countries for now and the U.S. isn’t among them.
As spotted byThe Register, Microsoft has sent out emails to 365 users in six Asia-Pacific countries, detailing that subscriptions will see a big price hike of up to 45%. The increase will come to Microsoft 365 Family and 365 Personal subscriptions.
According to emails, Australian 365 Family users will also see an increase from AU$139 to AU$179, while 365 Personal subscribers will have a rise from AU$109 to AU$159. That’s a 45% price hike, and it’s all for AI features and enhancements in apps that’s contributing to it.
Currently, these price increases have been noted in several countries: Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. While there’s no word of this steep cost raise coming to other countries, we’ve already heard ofMicrosoft announcing a 365 and Copilot price hike, which is set to arrive in April.
The price hike is set to contribute to several improvements to a suite of apps, such as “advanced security with Microsoft Defender, creative tools like Clipchamp, and countless enhancements to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook,” a Microsoft spokespersonsaid. More importantly, it comes withMicrosoft Copilotand Designer.
Fortunately, as stated in the post, these price hikes aren’t mandatory if users don’t want the added AI features, as a basic version of Microsoft 365 will be available, too.
>>>P21GU9 Battery for Microsoft Surface Pro 1 1514
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Is Microsoft Copilot worth the price increase?
One of the biggest AI features that seems to be bumping up the price for Microsoft 365 subscriptions is Copilot, but it’s already had a rocky start.Microsoft Recallis an interesting yet flawed feature, while otherfeatures can be fun and useful, but not worth a 45% price increase.
>>>G3HTA060H Battery for Microsoft Surface Pro X MQ03 1876
If Microsoft follows through with this high price hike around the world, it will need to ensure that it’s AI features are updated and upgraded, offering more to users in apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more. Even our own Alex Wawro thinksApple Intelligence is already better than Windows Copilotdespite it still rolling out.
Luckily, there are other feature Microsoft is bringing to PCs, including being able toconnect to a Meta Quest headset with three virtual displays, along with bringing anAirDrop-like feature for Windows to share files easily between a PC and iPhone.