Why it matters: Microsoft is looking to simplify its Outlook applications using a single web-powered client. This would allow Microsoft to have a shared experience across platforms without having to deal with different code bases. This also appears to be part of a larger initiative to revitalize the Microsoft brand to be friendly with all platforms.
Microsoft will avoid dedicated desktop applications for Outlook instead of a single client powered by the web, according to Windows Central. This is part of Microsoft’s “One Outlook” initiative, which seeks to unify Outlook regardless of the platform. The effort is called Project Monarch and will seek to replace all Microsoft email clients, including the standard Windows Mail application.
Project Monarch will be built on a single code base to simplify deployment across platforms. Windows Central says that Microsoft seeks to have a unique user experience and will be accessible to all customers, businesses and consumers.
Although you can technically install Outlook as a Progressive Web App (PWA) now, it does not have all the integrations that Monarch will have. For example, Monarch will include support for offline storage, notifications and sharing targets. Microsoft wants to ensure that it looks “native” for each platform, while following the same look and feel of the Outlook website.
Microsoft will begin previewing Monarch later this year. Standard mail and calendar applications are scheduled to be retired next year with Monarch combining the two functions in a single application. The company also has plans to shut down the Win32 Outlook application, but this is likely to happen in the future due to the complexity of the application.
In the meantime, Windows Central claims that current email and calendar applications are in “maintenance mode” and will have a slight change of user interface in line with Microsoft’s planned “Sun Valley” design update for Windows 10 yet. this year.