Microsoft is building a new universal Outlook client for Windows and Mac powered by the web that will also replace the default Mail & Calendar apps.
Sradha Subash A
credits: Wikipedia
The coming versions of Outlook will make the web a universal platform across PC and Mac. Microsoft is building a new universal Outlook client for Windows and Mac powered by the web that will also replace the default Mail & Calendar apps on Windows 10 when ready.
The project is codenamed 'Monarch' and is based on the already available Outlook Web app available in a browser today. The effort is part of Microsoft's "One Outlook" vision which was detailed the previous year.
Project Monarch is the ultimate goal for Microsoft's "One Outlook" vision, which targets to build a single Outlook client that works across PC, Mac and across the Web. At present, Microsoft has a number of different Outlook clients for desktop, including Outlook Web, Outlook (Win32) for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Mail & Calendar on Windows 10.
Microsoft desires to substitute the existing desktop clients with one app built with web technologies. The project will release Outlook as a single product, with the same user experience and similar codebase whether that be on Windows or Mac. It'll also have a much fewer footprint and will be accessible to all users whether they're free Outlook consumers or commercial business customers.
The app will lay stress on native OS integrations with an assist for things like offline storage, share targets, notifications, and more. It's one of Microsoft's goals to make the new Monarch client feel as native to the OS as possible at the same time to remain universal across the platforms by deriving the app on the Outlook website.
Microsoft will start to examine the updated Monarch client by the end of this year, with plans to substitute the Mail & Calendar apps on Windows 10 sometime in 2022. Microsoft also wants to make modifications in the legacy Win32 Outlook client, but that is a goal which appears to be furthermore and will be a gradual process as the legacy client cannot be easily replaced.
Those curious to experience this can install the Outlook Web app via your web browser today. It's sure that the app won't provide you with all the integrations that Microsoft has planned for the Monarch client, but it does give a general idea of the experiences that you can expect to have while using it
The Mail & Calendar apps on Windows 10 will be in maintenance mode until when the Monarch client is ready to substitute them. The existing apps will get a minor UI update towards the end of this year to bring them in-line with other UI updates going on with Windows 10's big Sun Valley update, but the apps themselves will eventually be substituted by Monarch.