As part of Microsoft’s “One Outlook” initiative, the company apparently plans to launch a universal Outlook client on the web app.
According to Windows Central, the universal Outlook Web app (codenamed Monarch) will eventually replace the standard Mail & Calendar applications on Windows 10. The new app will also replace the various Microsoft Outlook programs currently available, including Outlook Web, Outlook (Win32) for Windows, and Outlook for Mac.
Microsoft wants to replace existing computer customers with one app built with web technologies. The project will deliver Outlook as a single product, with the same user experience and code base, whether on Windows or Mac.
The emerging Outlook app is accessible to everyone, whether it’s free Outlook consumers or commercial business customers, Windows Central said. Microsoft outlined its One Outlook vision earlier in September last year, saying it wants to offer consumers an experience unique to the operating system, regardless of their platform.
Microsoft is expected to have a preview of Monarch by the end of 2021, with the goal of replacing Mail & Calendar applications on Windows 10 in 2022. The company also wants to replace Outlook (Win32) for Windows. However, it will be a much more monumental task if one considers how embedded the service is in the business.
When Monarch does launch, it will reportedly offer OS integrations, such as offline storage, section targets, notifications and more. Windows Central claims that Windows 10 Mail and Calendar programs have been put into maintenance mode, as Microsoft continues with its universal Outlook client at full speed. The programs will reportedly receive one last UI update as part of Windows 10’s Sun Valley update, but that’s it.
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– Richard Hay (@WinObs) 4 January 2021
A leaked version of the Microsoft Outlook Web application was noticed on Twitter by user @WinObs. A description for the app says that One Outlook is only for ‘brave dog food dwellers’, which is essentially a warning that things are in the early stages, even for internal testers. The edge reports that the leaked app is not functional without a full internal Microsoft account, so consumers may not be able to test it until the end of this year.