The Gardens Between is a breathtaking puzzle adventure that follows best friends, Arina and Frendt, as they fall into a surreal world of garden islands and boundless sea. Traverse back and forwards in time to discover each garden’s secrets and, along the way, reveal a story about friendship, childhood and growing up. ‎The Xbox app brings together your friends, games and accomplishments from across your devices. Stay connected to your gaming community on the go, control your Xbox One from the app and buy new games from the store. With your gaming life all in one place, the Xbox app keeps you connected to the games.

This article covers frequently asked questions about the availability of Office from the Mac App Store, and the differences between downloading Office apps directly from Microsoft.

Starting in January 2019, the following Office applications are available for download from the Mac App Store: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote*, and OneDrive*.

* These apps were also available from the Mac App Store in previous years.

1. What version of Office is available from the Mac App Store?

   The Office apps available from the Mac App Store provide the very latest version of Office on the Mac. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook require an Office 365 subscription to activate. OneNote and OneDrive do not require an Office 365 subscription, but some premium features may require an Office 365 subscription.

2. Is this the same as Office 2019?

   No. Office 2019 is the one-time purchase, non-subscription product (also known as perpetual). An Office 365 subscription provides always up-to-date versions of Office apps and access to additional premium features and services. The apps available in the Mac App Store are not compatible with Office 2019 licenses.

3. I currently own Office 2016 for Mac and want to upgrade my version of Office. Should I download Office from the Mac App Store?

   If you own the older perpetual release of Office, you can download the new version of the apps from the Mac App Store, and purchase a new Office 365 subscription using the in-app purchase option. In-app purchase offers include Office 365 Home, and Office 365 Personal. Your license from the perpetual release of Office will not work with the app versions from the App Store. Click here to learn about Office 365 subscriptions and pricing.

4. I already have an Office 365 subscription, and the Office apps are already installed on my Mac. Do I need to do anything?

   No. It's likely that you installed Office directly from Microsoft. The Microsoft AutoUpdate app will keep your existing apps up-to-date. The apps in the Mac App Store do not provide functionality beyond what you have today.

5. If I download Office from the Mac App Store, do I still use Microsoft AutoUpdate to get updates?

   Microsoft AutoUpdate is only used to get updates for apps that you download directly from Microsoft. If you download Office from the Mac App Store, then the App Store will provide you with future updates of Office. You may have other Microsoft apps installed on your Mac, and AutoUpdate will continue providing updates just for those apps.

6. Can I have multiple versions and builds of Office installed on my Mac?

   No. Office 365, Office 2019, and Office 2016 use the same application and file names. To see which version of Office you have installed on your Mac, open one of the apps, and look at the License text in the About dialog.

7. Can I get Office Insider builds from the Mac App Store?

   No. The Office apps in the Mac App Store are production releases. Insider builds must be downloaded directly from Microsoft.

8. How do I cancel my Office 365 free trial that I purchased through the Mac App Store?

   To cancel your Office 365 free trial that you purchased through the Mac or iOS App Store, follow the instructions on this page: View, change, or cancel your subscriptions.

   This link redirects to the App Store, so please open this link on a Mac, iPad or iPhone.

Xbox Games Store (formerly Xbox Live Marketplace) is a digital distribution platform used by Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox 360video game consoles. The service allows users to download or purchase video games (including both Xbox Live Arcade games and full Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles), add-ons for existing games, game demos along with other miscellaneous content such as gamer pictures and Dashboardthemes.

The service also previously offered sections for downloading video content, such as films and television episodes; as of late 2012, this functionality was superseded by Xbox Music and Xbox Video (now known as Groove Music and Microsoft Movies & TV respectively).

In late 2017, Xbox Store was replaced on Xbox One by Microsoft Store, as the standard digital storefront for all Windows 10 devices.^[1]

Services[edit]

Xbox Live Arcade[edit]

The Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) branding encompasses digital-only games that can be purchased from Xbox Games Store on the Xbox 360, including ports of classic games and new original titles.^[2][3]

Games on Demand[edit]

The Games on Demand section of Xbox Games Store allows users to purchase downloadable versions of Xbox 360 titles, along with games released for the original Xbox. Most of all, some of the delisted downloadable contents of the respective Xbox 360 games are also included in this edition.

Xbox Live Indie Games[edit]

As part of the 'New Xbox Experience' update launched on November 19, 2008, Microsoft launched Xbox Live Community Games, and later renamed to 'Xbox Live Indie Games', a service similar to Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA), with smaller and less expensive games created by independent developers and small studios.^[4] Such games are added to the service after successfully passing through a peer review system that prevents inappropriate content from appearing in games and ensures that games meet certain technical standards and do not misrepresent their content.

Former[edit]

Initial content partners included Paramount Pictures, CBS, TBS, MTV Networks, UFC, NBC, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Other movie studios have since supported the service including Lionsgate Films and Walt Disney Pictures as announced at E3 2007.^[5] At CES 2008, M, ABC, the Disney Channel and Toon Disney announced their support for the service.^[6]

Various films and TV shows were available for purchase in the Video Store, including both past and present series, such as Star Trek and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Initially, while TV shows could be downloaded and saved, films could only be rented—expiring 24 hours after initial viewing or 14 days after purchase.^[7]

At launch, the Video Store encountered widespread problems such as lengthy download times, duplicate billing for the same content, and downloads that could not complete, or for which users would have had to repay to complete.^[8]

On March 6, 2007, the South Park episode 'Good Times with Weapons' was available for free download; however, this episode was free only for the HDTV version until April 3, 2007. Starting on March 13, 2007, all episodes from South Park's 11th season were offered uncensored. Also, starting on July 26, 2007, the pilot episode of Jericho was available for download free of charge for both the Standard and HD versions.

In late 2009, the Video Marketplace was replaced by the Zune Video Marketplace, and later accompanied by a Zune Music Marketplace. Both Zune Marketplaces were replaced by the new Xbox Music and Xbox Video services in late 2012.^[9][10]

Criticism[edit]

Most complaints and criticisms leveled at the Xbox Live service concerned the Xbox Live Marketplace:

Problems with replacement consoles[edit]

Per Marketplace design, the digital rights management license for downloaded content is tied to both a specific user and to a specific console. This means that to access the content, the user either needs to be signed on to Xbox Live using their Gamertag, or be playing on the original console the content was purchased on.^[11]

As a result, users with replacement consoles cannot use previously downloaded content without being connected to Xbox Live. This has the effect of restricting usage of purchased content when no Internet connection is available. An additional wrinkle is added when there are multiple accounts on one console. In this case, all accounts can normally share content when it was downloaded on that system. However, if the system is replaced, then only the actual Xbox Live account to which the content is tied can make use of it (a workaround exists whereby the non-purchasing gamertag can use the content, but only if the original purchasing gamertag is signed into Xbox Live as a secondary profile).

Microsoft's original attempts to resolve these issues were limited to transferring licenses to consoles replaced under warranty. This required contacting Microsoft support, and the console must have been replaced through Microsoft itself or a warranty from the retailer where it was originally purchased. License transfers could not be performed in the case of a voluntary upgrade (e.g., if the user purchased a newer Xbox 360 replace their old console).

As of June 2008, Microsoft has released an online tool that allows users to transfer licenses from the console where they were originally purchased to another. This is done in a two-step process, where all licenses are first migrated on the server side, and then downloaded onto the new console. To prevent abuse, this process can only be performed every four months. Licenses remain bound to the Gamertag regardless, so users who store their profiles on portable memory units can continue to use purchased content on any console when signed into the service.^{[citation needed]}

Pricing[edit]

Price consistency and whether some content should be available free of charge has also been a source of criticism related to the Xbox Live Marketplace. A notable incident was Microsoft charging for a Gears of War map pack that developer Epic desired to provide at no cost (although it was made free four months later in September 2007).^[12] Exacerbating the controversy, Game Informer made claims that Microsoft forced companies to charge for content the company itself wanted to distribute free.^[13] In this case, Microsoft Publishing was responsible for setting the price, with this not actually being a policy of the Xbox team or Xbox Live Marketplace as was implied. Free content is indeed possible, but much of the free content is promotional in nature, such as the titles Yaris and Dash of Destruction.^{[citation needed]}.

The Microsoft Points system previously required to purchase content was criticized for being deceptive in terms of actual real-world cost, as well as for users often having to purchase more points at once than are immediately needed (in North America, users could only purchase points in increments of 400, costing around $5).^[14][15] In June 2013, Microsoft announced the discontinuation of points in favor of credit using local currencies, which took effect in an Xbox 360 software update released on August 26, 2013.^[16][17]

Regional lockouts[edit]

After the Spring 2007 dashboard update, Microsoft increased the security on the regional content restrictions.^[18] This made obtaining entertainment content for international markets impossible, while the US market has a substantial offering in comparison. Even some free content, such as downloadable extras for retail games, is impossible to obtain in certain regions, despite there being no legal or censorship problems (an example of this would be the second Gears of War map pack; while the first pack was initially available free worldwide, the Spring 2007 update made both unavailable to many Xbox 360 owners).

In the case of New Zealand, all child accounts were banned from downloading any marketplace content in mid-June. As of October 15, 2010 these are still locked from downloading anything apart from software updates and user-created content, no matter what the rating.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Xbox Store rebranding to 'Microsoft Store' on Xbox One'. Windows Central. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
2. ^'Developing for Xbox LIVE Arcade — Microsoft Casual Games'. Microsoft. May 13, 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
3. ^Patrick Klepek (August 13, 2007). 'Gamefest 2007: 45M Downloads on XBL news from 1UP.com'. 1UP.com. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
4. ^'XNA Creators Club Online - frequently asked questions'. Microsoft. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
5. ^'E3 2007 - Walt Disney Studios Now on Xbox LIVE Marketplace'. July 10, 2007. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007.
6. ^Block, Ryan (January 6, 2008). 'Bill Gates: live at his 12th and final CES keynote'.
7. ^'First Wave of TV Shows and Movies on Xbox Live'. Retrieved November 24, 2006.
8. ^'Tech problems hit XBL video marketplace'. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2006.
9. ^'Technology News: Handheld Devices: Microsoft Sharpens the Picture for Zune HD'. Technewsworld.com. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
10. ^Wingfield, Nick (June 4, 2012). 'R.I.P. Zune'. NYTimes. The New York Times Company. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
11. ^'Xbox.com 'Shop 'till you Drop' (subsection):Usage restrictions'. Archived from the original on August 26, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
12. ^'Gears of War Map Pack Live on Thursday'. Retrieved July 6, 2007.
13. ^'Microsoft Charges Again for Gears Content'. Edge Online. April 26, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
14. ^Thurrott, Paul (July 4, 2007). 'Microsoft Zune Review'. Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010.
15. ^Mossberg, Walt (November 9, 2006). 'Microsoft's Zune Challenges iPod'. All Things Digital.
16. ^'Xbox 360 update turns Microsoft Points into local currency today'. Polygon. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
17. ^'Microsoft account transition to local currency'. Microsoft. June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
18. ^'Microsoft to Tighten Up Xbox Live Marketplace Region Controls'. Xbox 365. May 5, 2007. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007.

External links[edit]