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As Microsoft looks to the future, “One Outlook” is the vision for the evolution of its email and calendar application. Notably, most of it includes a controversial shift from dedicated Mac and Windows apps to a platform-independent web app.
Outlook for Mac switches to the web app
Reported by Windows Central, Microsoft’s decision is to simplify Outlook so that it is just one product that works on all devices. The effort is codenamed “Project Monarch” and will offer the same user interface and design no matter if you access it through Mac, Windows, or the web.
The Windows Central report points out that the new web-based Outlook will have “a much smaller footprint and will be accessible to all users, whether they are free Outlook clients or business clients.”
Even though it will be a universal web app, it looks like Microsoft is planning to include native integrations for Mac and Windows like sharing, offline storage, and notifications.
I understand that one of Microsoft’s goals is to make the new Monarch client feel as native to the operating system as possible while still being universal across all platforms by basing the app on the website Outlook.
This goal makes sense given that Microsoft just released the new Outlook for Mac which was redesigned for macOS Big Sur in October, and then updated it with M1 Mac support in December.
Timeline of the new Outlook
Regarding the duration of this transition, Windows Central says that a preview of the new Outlook web application will be launched “towards the end of this year” and that it could replace the Mac and Windows applications “sometime in 2022. “. However, with the timeline quite remote, the report notes that Microsoft’s plans could change.
What will the new Outlook look like?
If you are wondering what the new Outlook will look like, the report asks to see the existing Outlook web application. With this clue, it’s likely that Mac users will lose some of the Big Sur flair Microsoft has in the current version of Outlook for Mac.
The take of 9to5Mac
This change could be controversial for all users who prefer to use a native app. And this may be the case more than ever with Apple’s Mac M1s making their way into the mainstream and users enjoying optimized Mac apps.
But on the other hand, Gmail has been conditioning us to use webmail for years, and it’s understandable that Microsoft is looking for some efficiency from its end with Outlook. As he shows in the image above, he hopes to bring faster innovation with this change.
I think a lot of Outlook is probably using it because of work and there might not be as much preference here. Personally, I always prefer to stick with native Mac apps. It will be interesting to see how this is received by the masses.
Related:
Image via Windows Central
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