They are but the real reason is that it becomes a constant revenue stream. It's a profit thing not a piracy thing. It's all about tying the customers to a subscription by the short hairs so they are stuck and have to pay. IMO software subscriptions are just a tiny step above a protection racket, (it sure would be a shame if you couldn't access all of your records any more. As long as you keep paying whatever we ask you can open those files you need for the audit. )
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Microsoft Launches New Outlook for Mac, Next Office for Mac Suite Coming in Second Half of 2015
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They are but the real reason is that it becomes a constant revenue stream. It's a profit thing not a piracy thing. It's all about tying the customers to a subscription by the short hairs so they are stuck and have to pay. IMO software subscriptions are just a tiny step above a protection racket, (it sure would be a shame if you couldn't access all of your records any more. As long as you keep paying whatever we ask you can open those files you need for the audit. )
I just installed Outlook and configured one Exchange account I have for testing. I must say, I expected much more.
The interface hasn't changed a lot and resembles Outlook 2013 on Windows, which is known to be a bad UI, lacking any contrast.
I am not sure I want to invest time with this version of Outlook. The only thing that apparently works, is syncing the master category list of a mailbox..
The interface hasn't changed a lot and resembles Outlook 2013 on Windows, which is known to be a bad UI, lacking any contrast.
I am not sure I want to invest time with this version of Outlook. The only thing that apparently works, is syncing the master category list of a mailbox..
"we will release a perpetual license of Office for Mac in the same timeframe."
http://blogs.office.com/2014/10/31/new-outlook-mac-available-office-365-customers/
Good on Microsoft. (Never thought I'd see myself typing that).
Does anyone know whether the new Outlook for Mac supports limited message retrieval for Exchange (e.g. download only past week, month, etc)? The Windows version has this feature, and it would really be a deal-breaker for me in terms of switching from Apple Mail.
That is why it is time for people to find alternatives to using software that requires a subscription. I would happily pay full price for Adobe Photoshop (Because I can use it for years). I'm not, however, going to pay for a subscription to the Creative Cloud because it will end up costing me much, MUCH more over the same time period. Instead, I'd rather use GIMP (which doesn't have all the features) or pay for another alternative. Instead of Illustrator, I can use InkScape. I'm not giving Adobe any of my money until they take down their subscription model and I encourage others to do the same thing. Unless you are a professional, it just doesn't make sense to shell out that kind of money when there are alternatives that are almost as (or just as) good for a lot less money.
Which brings me back to Outlook and Microsoft Office 365 (which is a stupid name...). Why the hell would I pay for a mail client? Sure, we can mention all its AMAZING features, but at the end of the day, it is only a mail client. It allows me to read email. There are plenty of free (or cheaper) ones out there that are just as good for an individual. I don't care if a mail client will link all of my contacts to my tasks and my calendars and then send all my contacts a diet soda and a turkey and gruyere sandwich on a multigrain roll for free on a Tuesday in an amazingly short amount of time. Sure...businesses can pay for it if they want. I'm sure there are some security-ish things built right in... I don't even see why a new version of Outlook is even a reason to take notice.
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Yep.
Ok just installed this and it basically is just Outlook 2011 with a slightly new skin.
Very disappointed in this as they have been working on this for YEARS and just did a slight UI update. PLUS the major release is now a year away. Last year they said it would be late 2014.
Microsoft should have released this in the App Store like they did with Onenote. Outlook should be FREE for Mac and Windows users and based on the service it will activate features/functions. If you have Exchange you get all the Exchange features, if you have just standard email clients you can still use it.
I really hope that in a year from now we get a true desktop client and not this Outlook Lite version.
- When you look under the hood, outside of some Exchange/Office 365 push support, it is the same client.
- The preferences are limited.
- No Notification Center support?
- No Onedrive support
- Just the UI from Office 2013, not very good
Very disappointed in this as they have been working on this for YEARS and just did a slight UI update. PLUS the major release is now a year away. Last year they said it would be late 2014.
Microsoft should have released this in the App Store like they did with Onenote. Outlook should be FREE for Mac and Windows users and based on the service it will activate features/functions. If you have Exchange you get all the Exchange features, if you have just standard email clients you can still use it.
I really hope that in a year from now we get a true desktop client and not this Outlook Lite version.
It looks like Outlook has looked for a long time.
Office 365 Enterprise plans allow you to use Exchange on-premises even if your organization pays for O365. http://mirazon.com/license-office-365-users-premise-versions-exchange-lync-sharepoint/ for more info. If there is one thing Microsoft does, its listen to their Enterprise customers and make decisions based on that information.
Who said that they have been working on this for years? This is what we would expect, but I am sure Microsoft didn't invest a lot of time on this release.
I agree with everything you said. The new Outlook is almost the same as the 2011 version with a slightly modified UI, which sacks big time.
Outlook 2013 for Windows has been a very badly designed software, at least from a UI perspective. Big enterprises hate the lack of contrast and prefer Outlook 2010. The main issue with Outlook 2013 is the lack of color and contrast..Now we have more or less the same UI on the Mac. Congratulations Microsoft.
Dominos server is light years ahead of Exchange! Its model has always been better than the pile of garbage known as Exchange. Storing mail files in one huge database is a cluster-F and makes backing up and restoring a nightmare. Compared to a file for each user.
Domino also has clustering built in that works, groupware functions that are better than $h!tPoint. And the best part is you can run Domino on just about any OS: Windows, Linux, OS X, AIX, AS/400, HP/UX, etc. Unlike Exchange that is tied to AD/Windows.
The client needs help but again, you get 100% compatibility over Windows, OS X, and Linux. Version 9 of Domino has gotten better and has a decent look and feel.
Sorry, Exchange/Outlook like most of what Microsoft makes is garbage! Ask any IT person about PST files and you'll get an earful!
Google Apps is a competitor to Office 365...not Exchange. Many organizations require that their email is stored onsite, backed up onsite, maintained onsite, etc. As far as O365 being a nightmare, you're going to have a hard time proving that one.
I'm not a professional photographer, but a hobbyist who shoots a lot of pictures, so I upgraded my version of Photoshop every couple of years. That works out to around the same price as two years of the subscription, so for me it was a wash price wise.
Office 365 isn't just a mail client, it's the full office suite now with unlimited online storage. I paid $60 for a year for a 5 copy license of Office 365, which also gives me copies for the family's iPads. $5 a month is not hard to stomach at all.
Did you launch Outlook by clicking on the icon in the dock? That will launch the 2011 version. To launch the new Outlook for Mac, you can either do it from Launchpad, search for it using Spotlight, or go to the Applications folder in Finder and launch it from there.
This release could be a year from now. We will all have to wait quite a bit longer...
All my notifications are going into Notification Centre. I don't get the custom Microsoft toast anymore.
Second half of 2015 for the rest of office? The Microsoft Mac team has been sitting on their hands for 4 years.
More like had their hands tied behind their backs.
I will take a look, but it should be there for everything. Reminders now pop an ugly NEW Outlook box. They should use the native notifications OS X type notifications.
Really? Is the mail still stored in a SQL (Jet)database? How is replication/clustering handled? Sharepoint still an afterthought? Still tied to AD/Windows? I know restores got better but it's still a nightmare vs restoring a mailbox file and popping it in there.
Is the licensing still cumbersome? Microsoft still raping companies on Exchange licenses? Still need tons of staff to manage it? We've got 7k+ mailboxes on Domino managed by a team of 3 and that includes the mobile functionality as well. Try that with Exchange and let me know how that goes.
Yeah, I may not have touched it in years but every time we look at it, it's like messing with a hooker with HIV.
OK, that makes sense. I used to be a big fan of Office, but I guess I've just learned to find ways of getting around buying it. I just use my money for other things. I don't believe in the subscription models because I haven't seen one that works out well for me in the end.
Well the years part comes from the fact that I would hope MS is not just working on something a few months before
That said, this "New" version looks like they worked on it a month ago and said "Hey, we need to support Office 365 Exchange so lets update the UI with 2013 and call it good/"