Microsoft says that the new Outlook for Windows is now generally available, but everyone should ignore that. Outlook (new) isn’t truly ready. It lacks vital features and has serious security shortcomings which are likely to frustrate anyone who relies on it.
On 1 August 2024, Microsoft declared that Outlook (new) for Windows is now ‘generally available’ but that does NOT mean the software is complete or truly ready for paying customers. It’s just an arbitrary date for a PR release, making you believe that Outlook (new) is ready when it is not.
Confused about the two Outlook for Windows? The one we’ve been using for years is now Outlook (classic) while the ‘work in progress’ replacement is called Outlook (new). Outlook for Windows gets a name change, at last
We won’t bore you with all the shortcomings in Outlook (new), but here’s three real ‘show stoppers’ which make it evident that Outlook (new) is not ready.
No Offline Support
Unlike Outlook (classic), there’s no cached mailbox or local storage of data in Outlook (new).
Each time you choose a new item (email, appointment, contact), Outlook (new) almost always checks with Microsoft’s servers for a copy. There’s some limited and unreliable caching of recently viewed items, but it’s not configurable. This behavior highlights how Outlook new is simply not ready for offline scenarios.
That’s most obvious when sending emails. There’s no equivalent of the ‘Outbox’ in Outlook (classic). If you click ‘Send’ on an email and there’s no immediate connection, Outlook (new) will throw up an error. Unlike Outlook (classic), which will patiently wait until there’s Internet then send anything in the Outbox.
Internet connection required
Because there’s little or no local caching, Outlook (new) needs a decent Internet connection. A slow, erratic or non-existent Internet link will stop Outlook (new) in its tracks, demonstrating once again how Outlook new is not ready for situations with unreliable internet.
Microsoft tries to hide this shortcoming by not showing many (or any) error messages when Outlook (new) can’t connect. The software just stops working for no given reason.
Anyone traveling on a plane will find that Outlook new is not ready for use. Even if the aircraft has Wifi, the connection is often too slow or erratic for Outlook (new) to work properly. Using Outlook (new) on a cruise ship with higher latency means a lot of waiting while the software talks to Microsoft’s cloud servers.
We’ve noticed this problem even using modern, fast cable Internet. If there’s a glitch in the infrastructure or ISP, Outlook (new) can’t cope smoothly.
Security breach for non-Microsoft accounts
Outlook (new) is heavily skewed to supporting Microsoft hosted email (Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com).
That’s especially true for email security. Non-Microsoft email accounts only work with Outlook (new) by giving Microsoft’s cloud servers the ability to login to the email account. This shows an alarming potential for a security breach, indicating again how Outlook new is not ready for non-Microsoft accounts.
Unlike Outlook (classic), the new Outlook routes all email via Microsoft’s systems. That means Microsoft (and any governments) have access to your email, no matter which company is hosting it.
Office Watch has been banging on about this for years because the Outlook mobile apps have the same problem.
Make no mistake
Microsoft pushes Outlook (new) because it’s best for the company, not their customers. More Outlook (new) users mean more unpaid beta testers trying out the incomplete software. If Redmond can trick more people into switching from Outlook (classic) they can use that to justify dropping the old software quicker. Do not think that Outlook new is ready just because Microsoft says it is.
There will come a time when Outlook (new) is truly ready for Microsoft’s paying customers. But it’s not there yet and won’t be for some time to come.
How the change to new Outlook for Windows will work
Digging deeper into the Outlook (new) timetable
If you want to try Outlook (new), run it alongside the existing Outlook (classic). Despite what Microsoft prefers, the two Outlooks can and do run quite happily ‘side by side’ on the one computer and both at the same time.
It’s the date that mattered, not the quality
Outlook (new) was officially released to the public on 1 August 2024. Why was this done if Outlook new is not ready?
Was it because all the necessary features were available? No – Outlook (new) still lacks vital features.
Perhaps Outlook (new) has satisfied beta testers and has no serious bugs? No – there are still plenty of known problems and almost certainly more that Microsoft is keeping secret.
Outlook (new) went to “general availability” because Microsoft decreed that would happen on 1 August. The quality or stability of the software had nothing to do with it. Just an arbitrary date that suits some corporate timeline, regardless of whether Outlook (new) was ready or not.
Beware the privacy trap in the Outlook (new)
Outlook for Windows gets a name change, at last
