Some Major Microsoft Apps Will Soon Be Obsolete … Here’s Why

As companies, particularly in the tech industry, expand into new segments, it’s often advantageous to organize them under one or more larger platforms. And that’s what Microsoft has been doing recently with its Outlook app.

Mail and more

The company announced this week that a trio of popular Windows apps — Mail, Calendar, and People — will no longer receive Microsoft support as of the start of next year. All three are in the process of being merged with the Outlook app, which is the only way users will be able to access their services after the end of December.

In its statement on the matter, the company advised users that if they have not gravitated to the Outlook platform by the deadline, they “will no longer be able to send and receive email using Windows Mail and Calendar.”

A work in progress

The Outlook for Windows app has been a priority for Microsoft for some time, but this year its pursuit of the project shifted into overdrive. The app’s full-scale release came in August and the integration of the Mail, Calendar, and People apps is only the tip of the iceberg.

Developers say the web-based app is designed to take the place of Outlook’s desktop platform, though that shift doesn’t appear imminent and Microsoft says it will give its enterprise customers at least a year to prepare.

And the full extent of the app project won’t be realized for another five years or more. Existing licenses and subscriptions to the original Outlook suite will continue receiving support until 2029 or later.

But with a handful of Microsoft apps on the chopping block right now, it’s obvious that the company is serious about its intent to focus on developing one central app-based platform.

Chris Agee November 13th, 2024

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