Among all the headlines yesterday that touted Office as suddenly “free” after Microsoft announced changes to its mobile productivity apps, one thing was overlooked by many: For business, Office still costs money.

“The unsung thing in all this is that this news is only about consumers,” said Wes Miller, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, in an interview Thursday. “For businesses, nothing has changed.”

Microsoft was much to blame for the mix-up and oversight. In its messaging Thursday, including the two different blog posts where it spelled out the change details, it never once used the words “consumer” or “business” to clarify which customers got what for free and who must still pay. Instead, the Redmond, Wash. company used the phrase “bringing Office to everyone” to trumpet the news.

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