Microsoft confusing users again with new Outlook update

Microsoft plans to push a new Outlook version to all customers. This new version will replace the Mail and Calendar apps of Windows in 2024, and the Outlook desktop application in the future.

A new update for Outlook is now available that Microsoft hopes will make things clearer for users. This update adds the word classic to the desktop version of Outlook. The version was named Outlook only until now.

Here is a screenshot of the old status quo:

If you have not paid attention to Microsoft’s announcements, and most users have not, then it is confusing to see two Outlook apps installed on the device.

The idea behind the name change, likely, is to make it clearer to users that the desktop Outlook that some have used for decades is not the one that they should use. While classic Outlook won’t be deprecated until at least 2029, it is a clear indication that it will go away at one point.

The new Outlook is the future, according to Microsoft. It is not liked universally though, as it lacks features that classic Outlook supports. It seems likely that Microsoft will remove “new” from its name at one point to complete the switcheroo.

As for Mail and Calendar, these will be crippled starting July (via Dr. Windows). The app will be set to read-only mode by Microsoft. In other words, you can’t use it anymore to retrieve or send emails.

This is the first step to push Windows users to use the new Outlook version. It remains to be seen how well this works out for Microsoft. There are several other email programs out there, including classic Outlook but also the free Thunderbird, that could be used as replacements.

Not the first time Microsoft is making confusing changes

Microsoft has a habit of making confusing decisions. Remember the Teams fiasco? There was a Microsoft Teams for consumers and one for businesses. Problem was, it was never clear which would open when you clicked on links that were designed to open in Teams. They even had the same name in Start and an icon that was nearly identical as well.

Another example was the release of a new OneNote, which sat next to the classic OneNote app for a long period. The two apps, OneNote 2016 and OneNote for Windows 10, even had the same icons. Microsoft decided furthermore that it would be a great idea to rename OneNote 2016 to just OneNote.

Closing words

Windows users who do not need one or both of the Outlook apps may uninstall them. This is done with a right-click on them in the Start menu, or under Settings > Apps > Installed Apps. Eventually, users of the desktop Outlook app, and Mail and Calendar, are forced to make a decision.

What about you? Do you use an email application?

Summary