APPLE

Redmond giant announces Outlook for Mac will be free

Microsoft moves to Apple. The Redmond-based company announced that its email app, Outlook for Mac is now available for free on the Mac App Store. Previously, a Microsoft 365 subscription or Office purchase was required to use the email client.

Microsoft claims this change would be a useful addition to Outlook on iOS as it supports things like sending draft emails to mobile devices and will also include an upcoming profiles feature that will integrate with Focus profiles on macOS. Thus, in case you receive staff while you are working, you will not be distracted, as well as you can disconnect from work when you are out of working hours.

Outlook for Mac supports email accounts from many third-party services, including Gmail, iCloud, and Yahoo. In that sense, the company hopes to drive the adoption of Microsoft 365 and Office with this measure and improve the performance, reliability and accessibility of the application.

Regarding this update, Michael Palermiti, Associated Products Group Manager for Outlook stated:Microsoft has done a good job in updating Outlook for Mac, especially adapting the user interface design to Apple's macOS modifications. In 2020, the app introduced a custom toolbar instead of the classic Office ribbon.

Like other Office applications, Outlook for Mac is compatible with MacBook M1 and M2 as Microsoft has optimized the application for these chips. Additionally, the app includes a widget and access to the notification center. Apple's Transfer feature, which syncs apps between macOS and iOS, is also available in Outlook.

The new Outlook for Mac is a native macOS app. Microsoft plans to continue creating and maintaining best-in-class native apps on macOS and iOS. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are not planned for Mac Outlook.”

And of course, you can continue working with the classic functions like migrating your emails from Gmail to Outlook and vice versa on Mac.

While there are few notable email clients for Mac like Mozilla's Thunderbird, Outlook's free availability may appeal to those who want to try other options.

Gabriela Martínez, iPadizate