Microsoft Outlook is switching from native Mac app to web app

As Microsoft looks to the future, One Outlook is a vision of how the Mail and Calendar app has evolved. Notably, the bulk of that involves a controversial shift from dedicated Mac and Windows apps to a web-based app that doesn’t know the platform.

Outlook for Mac is a hub for the web app

reported by Windows Central, Microsoft’s move is to simplify Outlook so that it’s just one product that works across all devices. The effort is codenamed “Project Monarch” and will offer the same user interface and design regardless of whether you access it on Mac, Windows, or the web.

The report from Windows Central highlights that the new web-based Outlook will have “a much smaller impact and will be accessible to all users, whether they are free Outlook clients or commercial clients.”

Although it will be a universal web application, Microsoft appears to be planning to include native Mac and Windows integrations such as sharing, offline storage, and notifications.

I realize that one of Microsoft’s goals is to make the new Monarch client feel as original to the operating system as possible while keeping it global across platforms by building the app on the Outlook website.

This goal makes sense in light of Microsoft just launching the new Outlook for Mac that it was Redesigned for macOS Big Sur Back in October then Update it with M1 Mac support in December.

New Outlook schedule

When it comes to how long that transition will take, Windows Central says the new Outlook Web App Preview will be launched “at the end of this year” and that it could replace Mac and Windows applications “sometime in 2022.” However, with the schedule way off decently, 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 and feel like, the report says to check out the current Outlook on the web app. With this tip, Mac users will likely lose some of Microsoft’s Big Sur features in the current version of Outlook for Mac.

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This shift could be controversial for all users who prefer to use a local app. And this may be the case more than ever with the Apple M1 Macs finding their way into the mainstream and users enjoying the enhanced Mac apps.

But on the flip side, Gmail has been preparing us for web-based mail for years, and understandably, Microsoft is looking for some efficiency on their end with Outlook. As shown in the image above, she hopes to achieve faster innovation with this transformation.

My idea is that many Outlook will probably use it due to work and that there may not be much of the preferences here. Personally, I would still prefer sticking to the original Mac apps. It will be fun to watch how this is being received by the fans.

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Image via Windows Central

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