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Can I stop paying and continue to use what I have had until then?
No.
Disqualified.

Excuse me, but this model of software purchasing doesn't suit everyone.
If it does for you, all power to you, really.
For me however, call me old-fashioned, but I can't stand it.
fair enough. But I was addressing the scenario you previously posed (ie. putting it on the shelf, installing it on any machine, etc.) If the response to those scenarios is irrelevant, then why raise them in the first place?
 
The better office tool iWork is for free, while the MS Office costs continuously... Why MS Office...

http://www.amazon.com/Office-365-Ho...TF8&qid=1409702397&sr=8-2&keywords=office+365

64$ per year with 1TB of storage (per user) and up to 5 users, and obviously Office.

Now let's see how much that would cost you on the Apple side.

iWork is free. $4 per month for 200GB on iCloud. Using simple math, that would definitely make getting 1TB a bit out of the price range there.
 
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http://www.amazon.com/Office-365-Ho...TF8&qid=1409702397&sr=8-2&keywords=office+365

64$ per year with 1TB of storage (per user) and up to 5 users, and obviously Office.

Now let's see how much that would cost you on the Apple side.

iWork is free. $4 per month for 200GB on iCloud. Using simple math, that would definitely make getting 1TB a bit out of the price range there.

If anyone reaches the 1TB limit of Office documents, please let me know. You'll be first in the world.
 
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I have no problems with subscription-based software as long as I'm not locked away from my data if I stop paying. I know that's wishful thinking, but with the proper design, it can be done, even if it was read-only mode.
 
If anyone reaches the 1TB limit of Office documents, please let me know. You'll be first in the world.
Nonsensical statement really.
As I'm sure you well know, it's not just for Office docs. You can store anything you like on OneDrive - movies, photos, anything. Move your entire 1Tb internal drive if you like.
 
I'm not often moved to comment on threads like this but this strikes me as incredibly good value. I've just signed up and will be cancelling my Dropbox subscription just as soon as I transfer everything over to Onedrive. For the same price per month as Dropbox I get another 4 TBs of storage for my family plus the full version of Office for all of us on our iPads and computers as well.

And while I have used many of the iPad alternatives to Office, none of them actually handle documents as well as Word does when it comes to comments and track changes. So having Word on my iPad is a real bonus as all of my work colleagues use it - it is the de facto standard whether we like it or not.
 
Any mention of subscription and I'm gone. I'll pay for a one-time charge license that lasts for as as long as I decide to maintain a computer that will run it.

How much do you pay for your subscription-subsidized iPhone per month, or did you pay for an off-contract phone? Just trying to figure out how principled you really are in purchase policy.
 
Make no mistake. Subscription-based software is emerging as an unanticipated consequence of the internet. I don’t know which is worse, the internet as breeding ground of international terrorism, or the internet allowing Adobe and Microsoft to commence subscription services to the detriment of user’s pocketbooks.
 
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