This year, we saw Microsoft’s growing impatience over the old Mail & Calendar app, which led to the new Outlook app, a web wrapper. Microsoft announced that the old Mail & calendar app will reach the end of support on 31st December 2024, forcing people to migrate to the new app.
According to a support document seen by Windows Latest, Microsoft has given some reasons justifying what makes new Outlook better than Mail & Calendar apps.
It starts by describing how the new Outlook is supercharged with AI features that can help you write emails with a few prompts (as if writing emails is a surmounting task for those who do it daily). We don’t see it as a huge selling point, and the option to remind you to follow up on important conversations isn’t something you cannot live without.
Other “great” features include accessing all the emails in one place. The rest are gibberish features promoting Microsoft 365, and some mention the security features built into the app.
A few months back, there was a comparison table for Outlook web, Outlook, and Mail & calendar. I can’t find that now. There’s only a new table with the Outlook web and Outlook.
Why do users hate the new Outlook app?
Microsoft introduced the new app as subtle hints, followed by ads and forcibly migrating users to the new Outlook. It didn’t let anyone decide to stay on the Mail & Calendar app and wanted everyone to like the new app.
If you ask us, we’re happy about the new UI and a few features, but converting the app into a web wrapper is an added burden.
Another pain point is the lack of some features that Microsoft plans to add slowly in the future. Still, the ads are the biggest pain point of the new web Outlook.
The UWP Mail and calendar didn’t have ads, and Microsoft will change that with the new Outlook. We previously reported that the weather app is getting more ads, and Outlook is no exception.
Microsoft isn’t satisfied with making money only through OS licenses and loves to burden its users with app ads. However, there’s no choice for you, and you must migrate to the new app and move your data before the end of the support date.
From January 1, 2024, Mail & calendar will function and only serve as an old mail opening tool. It won’t be able to send or receive new mail.