Microsoft has made the confusion over versions of “Outlook” even worse
In a recent blog post – Understanding Microsoft Outlook Email: Classic, New and More – I thought I’d swept away the confusion that Microsoft causes by using the name “Outlook” for several different products. I didn’t really understand when a couple of clients said they were still confused.
Now I think I’ve cracked it.
Like those clients, I subscribe to Microsoft 365 and, therefore, use the proper, pukka, classic/desktop version of Outlook.
So I was rather puzzled one day recently when a blue banner appeared near the top right of my Outlook screen, inviting me to try the “New Outlook”.
What?
Have they brought out yet another version – and they’re calling it “New Outlook” again?
Won’t people confuse that with the recent New Outlook that’s free and replacing Windows Mail?
Ignoring it, I carried on. Then a few days later it happened again. Surely they can’t be trying to get me to try a new(ish), free, product. I’m already paying for a tried and tested, mature, reliable program.
Why would they do that and why would I take them up on it?
So, I went back to the chat I had had with Google’s Gemini. This was the same chat that had formed the basis of my earlier post. I asked:
“I use “Classic Outlook” or “Desktop Outlook” (whichever is the latest name for it). Now I’ve started getting popups in Outlook trying to get me to try the “New Outlook”. Which New Outlook – the new free one, a new paid one?”
Gemini’s response regarding Microsoft touting “New Outlook” in Desktop Outlook
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The “New Outlook” pop-ups you’re seeing in your “Classic Outlook” (the desktop app that comes with your Microsoft 365 subscription) are trying to get you to switch to the same “New Outlook” app that is gradually replacing the free Windows Mail and Calendar apps.
It’s NOT a new paid version of Outlook. It IS the same “New Outlook” that is designed to be the future unified email client for Windows.
Why is Microsoft pushing it to Microsoft 365 subscribers?
Microsoft’s long-term vision is to have one unified Outlook client for Windows. This “New Outlook” is that client. The idea is that this single app will eventually replace both the free, built-in Windows Mail and Calendar apps AND the “Classic Outlook” desktop app (the one you’re currently using with your Microsoft 365 subscription).
What you might lose in terms of features: The “New Outlook” currently lacks many of the advanced features, add-in support, and deep integration that “Classic Outlook” offers. Microsoft is slowly adding features, but it’s not there yet.
In summary: When you see those pop-ups, they are encouraging you to switch from your current paid Microsoft 365 “Classic Outlook” desktop application to the “New Outlook” application, which is essentially a web-based experience wrapped in a desktop app. While the “New Outlook” app itself is free, the functionality you’ll experience with your Microsoft 365 account might not offer the full feature set you’re used to from “Classic Outlook.”
Unquote
We then had a most enjoyable rant about just how far apart Microsoft’s goals for ‘unified codebases’ and ‘modern architecture’ are from the needs of their paying customers. It’s a great example of how utterly out-of-touch these huge tech companies can be. They just don’t seem to appreciate the real-world experience of their users – the same users who generate their massive profits.
So, if you are using the classic/desktop version of Outlook, and Microsoft uses in-product adverts to try to get you to switch to a free, immature, less-featured alternative then my researched, considered response would be – don’t.
Screenshot from Microsoft Desktop Outlook
Other images designed by David Leonard with Microsoft Designer
