Microsoft really wants people to use the new Outlook, and apparently, breaking Mail & Calendar with an update wasn't enough to get people to switch.
A new blog post from the company outlines the benefits of the new Outlook app, which has shipped as the default email and calendar experience for Windows 11 since late last year.
The new Outlook is a web wrapper, so it will look familiar to anyone who has browsed their emails or calendar with Outlook on the web. Many of the features highlighted by Microsoft are available in both the new Outlook app and Outlook on the web:
- Pin important emails
- Sort and search for attendees
- Apply new themes and colored mailbox folders
- Add shared mailboxes as accounts
- Use Copilot-powered inbox prioritization and email drafting
- Create structured, professional, and richly formatted newsletters
- and so much more!
The new Outlook does have some features that Mail & Calendar lacked, such as the ability to sweep emails from your inbox. It also integrates well with Microsoft 365 apps and services.
But the new Outlook also has ads unless you're a paid user and lacks popular features from Mail & Calendar. The app didn't allow users to open attachments while offline until last month.
Quite a few people prefer Mail & Calendar and wish it were still around. Wino Mail attempts to replicate Mail & Calendar and does a respectable job, but it's not the same as Microsoft's old app.
What is a native Windows app?
When it comes to Windows 11 apps, native doesn't mean what it used to. At least colloquially, native used to refer to a UWP (Universal Windows Platform) app made specifically for Windows. Now, "native" can refer to a variety of app types.
Microsoft recommends WinUI and the Windows SDK for creating apps, but there are other options.
React Native for Desktop can be used to create a native UWP XAML application. Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is another option for developers.
Microsoft even lists Win32, Windows Forms, and UWP under "Other native platform options" in a support document. Noticeably absent from that section are Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
The new Outlook is a PWA, which in my mind suggests it is not a native app. But the folks at Microsoft may have a different opinion.
For a default OS emailing experience, the design and UX are abysmal. Why is this app so darn ugly compared to many of the other built-in utility apps on Windows 11 like Paint, Notepad, Microsoft Store, and Settings? Outlook stands out like a sore thumb and doesn’t even look like a Windows app.
Zac Bowden
Microsoft's blog post says that the new Outlook is "deeply integrated with Windows to bring functionality that you expect of a rich, native app." While that statement does not technically say the new Outlook is a native app, it claims the app delivers a native-like experience.
The new Outlook is a web wrapper built on its Edge Browser, though it has some added functionality. So, Microsoft is correct when implying the new Outlook has "functionality that you expect of a rich, native app." But the new Outlook is not a native app.
Honestly, very little of this would matter if the new Outlook were a good app. But it has been met with criticism for its performance, design, and lack of features.
If you've followed our coverage of the new Outlook, you're well aware that our Senior Editor Zac Bowden and I dislike the app. Bowden said, "Microsoft is wrong: The new Outlook for Windows is not ready for prime time," last summer. The app has improved since then, but I don't think it's ready for prime time.
The fact that Microsoft has to push this hard to get people to use the new Outlook is concerning. Microsoft forced the new Outlook onto Windows 10, made Mail & Calendar inoperable, and shared a blog post that tries to convince people to switch.
Some marketing is acceptable and expected, but if a new app is better than its predecessor, people should want to switch without prodding.
