Microsoft releases Outlook for Mac and releases Office for Mac in 2015
On Friday, Microsoft released a new version of Outlook for Mac for its Office 365 subscribers, which mainly offers a refreshed look. In addition, the software giant announced that the Office for Mac office suite will be released in the middle of next year.
Outlook for Mac, the e-mail client of the office suite Office, has been given a refreshed look with the update. According to Microsoft, the new interface offers a better scrolling experience when switching between different tabs. The updated mail program also features improved categorization and synchronization of categories with Mac, Windows and owa clients. It can also show Office 365 push notifications.
The arrival of the updated Outlook for Mac for Office 365 subscribers on Friday is not entirely a surprise. On Monday, screenshots of the renewed interface surfaced, which has mainly become flatter and thus seems to fit better with the interface of Apple’s latest operating system Yosemite.
Microsoft also announced in a blog post that a new version of Office for Mac will be released sometime next year. The beta version will be released in the first half of the year, after which the final should be released in the second half. It will be free for Office 365 subscribers, while there will also be a lifetime license for new customers. Microsoft has not announced an exact date for the release for the time being.
With the new Office for Mac version, the software giant definitively confirms that the company is working on a new office suite for Mac OS X. The last time that was a while ago: the last version, Microsoft Office Mac 2011, dates from 2010.
The office software for Windows, like the Mac package, will be released in the second half of 2015. The office package, which will be called Office 16 for the time being, would according to the latest information include an optional dark color theme and show a help function. The help assistant offers a search function like the famous Clippy paperclip from older versions.
Normally, Office for Mac follows about six to eight months after the Office suite for Windows came out, but this time it takes a little longer for both packages, Microsoft says. The company chooses to focus first on mobile applications and applications in the cloud, with which Microsoft mainly means Office in combination with the storage service OneDrive for smartphones and tablets.