As Microsoft looks to the future, ‘One Outlook’ is the vision for how it will develop its email and calendar app. The biggest part of this is especially a controversial move from dedicated Mac and Windows applications to a web-based app that is agnostic.
Outlook for Mac turns to web application
Reported by Windows Central, the step is to simplify Microsoft so that it is just one product that works on all devices. The effort has the code name ‘Project Monarch’ and provides the same user interface and design, whether you have access to it via Mac, Windows or the Internet.
The Windows Central report emphasizes that the new web-based Outlook “will have a much smaller footprint and will be accessible to all users, whether they are free Outlook consumers or commercial business customers.”
While it will be a universal web application, it looks like Microsoft intends to include integrated integrations for Mac and Windows, such as sharing, offline storage and notifications.
I understand that one of Microsoft’s goals is to make the new Monarch client feel as unique to the operating system as possible, while remaining universal across platforms by basing the app on the Outlook website.
The goal makes sense in light of Microsoft just launching the new Outlook for Mac redesigned for MacOS Big Sur in October and updating it in December with M1 Mac support.
Timeline for the new Outlook
When it comes to how long this transition will take, Windows Central says it will launch a preview of the new Outlook Web application by the end of this year and that it could replace Mac and Windows applications “somewhere in 2022”. However, with the timeline being quite far away, the report notes that Microsoft’s plans may change.
What will the new Outlook look like there?
If you’re wondering what the new Outlook will look and feel like, the report says to look at the existing Outlook web application. With the tip, Mac users are likely to lose the Big Sur feel that Microsoft offers in the current Outlook for Mac version.
9to5Mac neem
This move may be controversial for all users who prefer to use a native app. And this is perhaps more the case than ever with Apple’s M1 Macs that have found the mainstream and users who enjoy optimized Mac applications.
On the other hand, Gmail has conditioned us for years to use web-based email, and it’s understandable that Microsoft is ultimately looking for efficiency with Outlook. As highlighted in the picture above, it hopes to bring about faster innovation with this shift.
My thought is that a lot of Outlook is probably using it because of work and that there might not be as much preference involved in this. Personally, I still prefer to stick with local Mac apps. It will be interesting to see how it is received by the masses.
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Image via Windows Central
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