Microsoft Bundles Copilot with Office 365 Subscriptions in Select Markets, Raises Prices

Microsoft Expands Copilot Access to Office 365 Subscribers But at a Cost

The functionality is currently limited to users in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan for now. Not too long ago, new Copilot features came out for business users at the Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 event. We also got to know how Copilot in Microsoft Excel has the power to run Python code and perform advanced data analysis. Well, now, Microsoft is going all out and making it easier for Office 365 Personal and Family users to access Copilot in not just Excel, but Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc. Previously, Microsoft was charging a hefty additional $20 per month from Office 365 Personal and Family subscribers for access to Copilot AI features. While the Personal plan costs $6.99 per month, the Family plan sets you back at $9.99. So, you will end up paying double or more the amount of the subscription itself to use those Copilot AI features, which is mad. Microsoft has probably realized how ridiculous that is and has now bundled Copilot within those subscriptions itself. However, this change has been applied only in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan for now. In the official blog post, Microsoft states, "Productivity and creativity are at the heart of Microsoft 365, and with Copilot integration across our apps you're now equipped with an AI companion that doesn't just make your work easier -- it makes it more effective (and fun)". Then, Microsoft goes on to give a quick rundown of how Copilot further elevates the Office 365 experience within its apps. For those unaware, in Microsoft Word, you can summon Copilot AI to summarize and rewrite text for you as well as create custom images, transform text into tables, and more. Meanwhile, in PowerPoint, Copilot can create presentations for you from Word documents or PDFs, from scratch. Additionally, Copilot can also add speaker notes automatically, synchronize animations, and just make presentations easier to create. Outlook and OneNote are also injected with Copilot. They now let you draft emails, summarize email threads, create lists, generate ideas, and do a lot more. However, it's not an all-you-can-AI buffet and will offer you a set of AI credits to use on a monthly basis. If you're someone who uses Copilot a lot, you can always upgrade to Copilot Pro. Microsoft says, this way, you don't need to worry about the usage limit. Not everything is perfect, though, and Microsoft is increasing the prices of its Office 365 Personal and Family subscriptions. For example, the Australian market has seen a $4 monthly increment to the Family plan. The region's Personal plan has seen an increase of $5. However, that's still a lot less than the $33 that Microsoft was previously asking for access to Copilot. Microsoft states, "To reflect the value we've added over the past decade and enable us to deliver new innovations for years to come, we're increasing the prices of Microsoft 365 Personal and Family. The price increase will apply to existing subscribers upon their next renewal." In addition, Microsoft also notes that those on the Microsoft 365 Family subscription will not be able to share Copilot. It will only be limited to the subscription owner. Microsoft is testing out the price increment in these markets to get an idea of how users react to it. Depending on the reception, Microsoft may bring these changes in other markets as well. If you ask me, I see this as a double-edged sword. One of the biggest ways to use AI responsibly is to get rid of too much reliance on it. With Copilot AI now being part of almost every Microsoft service out there, it's basically unignorable. So, it's up to us to strike the right balance and maintain that human touch in our work to keep AI from taking over. With that said, what do you think about Microsoft's latest move to make Copilot more accessible? Cry your heart out in the comments down below!

Microsoft Tests Bundling Copilot With 365 Personal and Family Plans (for a Price)

Microsoft may soon bundle Copilot features into Microsoft 365 subscriptions -- for a price. A Microsoft 365 Personal plan costs $69.99 per year, while a Copilot Pro subscription is $20 per month. With both, you can use Redmond's AI to help you write, edit, and analyze content in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. In the US, however, there's no option to get a discount by subscribing to both. That may change soon as Microsoft is adding Copilot and Designer to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. "These changes bring the transformative power of AI to the personal productivity and creativity apps that millions of people use every day," the company says. It doesn't include the full suite of Copilot Pro features; "subscribers will receive a monthly allotment of AI credits," according to Microsoft, which says, "those who frequently use Copilot can upgrade to Copilot Pro, without worrying about usage limits." Plus, for Microsoft 365 Family subscribers, Copilot will only be available to the subscription owner and can't be shared with others. The upgrade is not free. Copilot and Designer is available now once Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers in supported regions update to the latest version of the software. But at their next renewal, the price will increase -- "to reflect the value we've added over the past decade and enable us to deliver new innovations for years to come," it says. Price hikes vary by market. In Australia, the cost of the Personal plan goes up by $5 AUD, and the cost of the Family plan increases by $4 AUD per month, but that's still cheaper than the $33 AUD Microsoft charges for the standalone Copilot Pro subscription, The Verge notes. Microsoft didn't say if this option will roll out in the US, but it seems likely if the test goes well.

Microsoft U-Turns on Copilot Fee for Office Apps

Microsoft has announced plans to pull the plug on its mandatory $20 Copilot Pro fee, in favor of including access to the AI tool as part of the Microsoft 365 subscription bundle. ✕ Remove Ads Microsoft 365 Family and Personal subscribers in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand will get automatic access to Copilot features once they update to the latest version of the productivity suite. This comes less than a year after the company started charging $20 for Copilot Pro licenses on top of the regular Microsoft 365 subscription. In a news post on the Asia-Pacific section of its website, Microsoft said, "Productivity and creativity are at the heart of Microsoft 365, and with Copilot integration across our apps, you're now equipped with an AI companion that doesn't just make your work easier -- it makes it more effective (and fun)." Skeptics, on the other hand, are more likely to conclude that Micosoft's plan to charge an additional monthly fee for Copilot fell flat on its face, which is why the tech giant has made this dramatic U-turn in its approach. ✕ Remove Ads Customers in the affected regions will benefit from a limited number of monthly credits to use on Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. The credits will also apply to the use of Copilot in other apps, such as Paint, Photos, and Notepad. If you want unlimited access to Copilot's capability, however, you'll still have to pay the $20 monthly upgrade fee. Microsoft has also revealed that Microsoft Designer -- a program that lets you "create eye-catching images by simply describing what you're looking for" -- will be added to the Microsoft 365 subscription as part of the shake-up. As the news post explains, "In addition to accessing Designer within apps like Word and PowerPoint, you can also use the standalone Designer app on the web and mobile." ✕ Remove Ads Before you wheel away in celebration, there's a catch. Even if you don't plan to use the Copilot features that will be included in your Microsoft 365 plan as standard, the subscription fee is due to increase. Explaining this price rise, which will be automatically added when your subscription next renews, Microsoft said, "To reflect the value we've added over the past decade and enable us to deliver new innovations for years to come, we're increasing the prices of Microsoft 365 Personal and Family." The extent of this rise will vary from region to region, though it will be cheaper than what you would have previously paid for the Copilot Pro add-on. If you're a Microsoft 365 Family subscriber, there's another catch: "Copilot will be available to the subscription owner and cannot be shared with others." Microsoft has yet to announce whether these changes and price increases will roll out to other markets around the world. Source: Microsoft ✕ Remove Ads