[German]The preview phase of the new Microsoft Outlook for Windows will end on August 1, 2024. The client in question will then be generally available for commercial accounts. However, users can still use the classic Outlook client, as the new Outlook for Windows lacks essential features and some things will not be implemented at all. Here is a look at the current status and some background information on what the switch to the new Microsoft Outlook for Windows means at the end of the day.
Advertising
Announcement in the Microsoft 365 Message Center
The following tweet refers to the release of the new Outlook for Windows for general availability on August 1, 2024. There is said to have been a corresponding announcement in the Microsoft 365 Message Center.
This milestone has no impact on existing users who continue to use classic Outlook for Windows, writes Microsoft. The step is primarily intended for organizations that have corresponding migration plans. With this step, the new Microsoft Outlook for Windows is fully supported by Microsoft.
An opt-in is still required to switch to the new client. From version 2407, the name of the previous classic Outlook for Windows will include "(classic)". Users of the classic Outlook will not be automatically switched to the new Outlook for Windows for the time being.
Microsoft does not want to initiate the step of automatic conversion with opt-out until later and with a 12-month advance notice. It is also interesting that the general availability for the US government clouds (GCC, GCC High and DoD) and the availability in other government clouds will not be announced until later.
Much unfinished or canceled
I would like to put a question mark over whether the above statements are really true. In the articles linked at the end of this article, I reported on forced upgrades to the new Outlook during the preview phase. All in all, the new Outlook for Windows is a no-go for European users. Here are a few aspects that I already mentioned in the blog and that you should keep on your radar.
Advertising
Mail access data goes to Microsoft
I covered this in detail in the blog posts Warning: Microsoft Outlook app breaks (company) security and Security risk Microsoft Outlook App: Transfers credentials and mails to the cloud. This is because the new Outlook app transfers the login data for the configured mail accounts to Microsoft.
The data ends up in the Microsoft Cloud in the user's Microsoft account, and the company pulls the emails from third-party mailboxes into the cloud to pass them on to the app from there. During this process, Microsoft can also use all emails to evaluate them for advertising purposes or to train its AI models. You can read the details in the blog post New Outlook app: "Monitoring and surveillance tool for targeted advertising".
Microsoft takes the position: "what do you want, we'll tell you about it" – I addressed this in the article New Outlook app: Microsoft's statement on transferred credentials and content. German data protection officers have expressed their "concern" and believe that the app should not be used.
The license trap when integrating mails
I first addressed this in the article New Outlook for Windows 11: Adding of business accounts denied due to missing licensing. Administrators and IT service providers suddenly discovered that the new Outlook app was refusing to add email accounts, citing a "missing license".
Because the new Outlook is intended to replace the classic Outlook Windows application in the long term, but the app is free of charge, Microsoft has come up with a special trick. The classic Outlook was paid software. To be able to integrate accounts into the new Outlook app, the user must now have a corresponding license.
Dying eco-system VBA and add-ins
In the long term, the new Outlook app is intended to replace classic Outlook, which is widely used through the Office packages. However, a complete eco-system has been built on top of classic Outlook. Specialist applications use Microsoft Office to create documents and then send them with classic Outlook. For this purpose, VBA is used as a programming language and so-called add-ins are used as "bridges" to enable these solutions.
However, it is now clear that this eco-system will die with the medium-term replacement of classic Outlook by the new Outlook app. The required COM interfaces and Visual Basic for Application (VBA) as a macro language are no longer supported in the new Outlook app. Microsoft has clearly communicated this, as I explained in the article New Outlook: Microsoft will definiteNew Outlook: Microsoft will definitely not support COM add-insly not support COM add-ins reported.
Classic Outlook to be supported until 2029
Microsoft intends to support classic Outlook until 2029 (see Road map for new Outlook app; classic Outlook supported up to 2029). However, organizations would be well advised to draw up a roadmap for moving away from Outlook altogether. Because one thing is clear: Microsoft is determined to force companies without an alternative into its corset with the new Outlook for Office app.
Similar articles
Microsoft 365: First Windows Mail and Calendar users will be migrated to the new
Microsoft is installing Outlook-Preview without permission
Outlook at the end of August 2023
Microsoft 365: First Windows Mail and Calendar users will be migrated to the new Outlook at the end of August 2023
New Outlook client: Extended test in January 2024 for enterprises
Beware: New Outlook app transfers access data to Microsoft
New Outlook app: Microsoft's statement on transferred credentials and content
New Outlook for Windows 11: Adding of business accounts denied due to missing licensing
New Outlook: Microsoft will definitely not support COM add-ins
New Outlook app: "Monitoring and surveillance tool for targeted advertising"
Road map for new Outlook app; classic Outlook supported up to 2029
Advertising
