{"id":62430,"date":"2023-03-23T22:36:54","date_gmt":"2023-03-23T21:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmileco.com\/microsoft-copilot-could-fix-a-long-running-office-problem\/"},"modified":"2023-03-23T22:36:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T21:36:54","slug":"microsoft-copilot-could-fix-a-long-running-office-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmileco.com\/microsoft-copilot-could-fix-a-long-running-office-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Copilot could fix a long-running Office problem","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

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Disclosure: Microsoft is a client of the author.<\/em><\/p>\n

In a sense, Microsoft Office and I grew up in this industry together. We both entered tech at around the same time, and I was one of its first users \u2014 when it had a problem that continues to plague it.<\/p>\n

Office was largely built through acquisition, and as a result, it has often suffered from a lack of integration and consistency. While its \u00a0various parts have grown more similar over the years, even now, I could argue, they aren\u2019t as integrated as Lotus Symphony was because Symphony\u2019s parts came from the same code base.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Integration gives you the ability to have a single interface in a product. You get the individual components necessary to either do a focused project (like a spreadsheet) or a blended document (more like a report) that includes pictures and data that are all updated automatically when new information comes in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Copilot, announced last week, should at some point begin to bridge all aspects of Office, making its various components feel far more tightly integrated than they have been in the past. Given that perception is often our reality, Office should feel increasingly integrated, finally correcting a problem that goes back to its birth. And that should make it even more productive for regular users.<\/p>\n

Another Office overlay?<\/h2>\n

Historically, some tools such as cut-and-paste and spell check worked relatively seamlessly across all parts of Office. While the components themselves remained separate, these tool overlays created the perception of integration that didn\u2019t require actual integration.<\/p>\n