Final month, Microsoft introduced after which briefly paused its plans to switch the Mail and Calendar apps in Home windows with the brand new Outlook. Nicely, its reevaluation is finished, and the software program large is pushing ahead.
“The Mail and Calendar apps for Home windows are being changed with the brand new Outlook for Home windows,” a July 20 replace to the unique announcement notes. “On the finish of 2024, we shall be ending help for the Mail and Calendar apps for Home windows. The brand new Outlook for Home windows helps folks be extra productive and in command of their inbox. We’re enthusiastic about this transformation that may present customers with nice new productiveness options comparable to Microsoft Loop, message reminders, in addition to file and folks ideas whereas composing an electronic mail. The brand new Outlook additionally affords extra methods to remain in management with drag and drop emails as duties, work hours and site, pinning and snoozing messages, and lots of others.”
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I’m shocked that is in any approach controversial, given how lackluster the Home windows Mail app is, particularly. However when Microsoft introduced that it will substitute the Mail and Calendar apps in Home windows with the brand new Outlook, it acquired sufficient unfavorable suggestions that it shortly pushed pause on the transition and stated it will “reevaluate” the timing and implementation of this transformation.
That wording instructed that it will finally push ahead with its plans regardless. And looking out on the new announcement, we are able to see that the one significant (if obscure) change to the schedule is that the transition will now happen “on the finish of 2024” as an alternative of in September 2024. However Microsoft will start auto-migrating Mail and Calendar customers to the brand new Outlook in late August 2024, with the momentary possibility to return.
Additionally, those that had hoped that Microsoft would possibly permit them to proceed utilizing Mail and Calendar—because the software program large has achieved with some older variations of in-box apps, just like the Photographs Legacy app—shall be disenchanted: Microsoft will finish help for Mail and Calendar in late 2024 and would require customers emigrate to the brand new Outlook for Home windows. (Or to no matter mail/calendar purchasers they like.)