What this means is that Outlook will eventually replace the Sunrise mobile app. Microsoft says it will keep Sunrise in app stores “until its features are fully integrated into Outlook, the exact timing of which [Microsoft] will communicate in advance”.
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For fans of calendar app Sunrise, there’s good news and bad news.
“These numbers show what we’ve known for a few time-despite reports to the contrary-email is a key communications channel across all parts of our life, and there is growing demand for a mobile email experience that helps to effectively manage those conversations”, says Javier Soltero, former Acompli CEO, now corporate vice president for the Outlook team.
MICROSOFT IS ABOUT TO INCUR the wrath of loyal users once again, including several INQUIRER staff, after confirming that the company is to merge its popular Sunrise calendar app into Outlook, discontinuing the standalone version “down the line”.
Microsoft has been working to infiltrate Android and iOS from the inside, buying up successful third-party apps. Soltero told me that Microsoft plans to continue to beef up Outlook’s calendar until it, like Sunrise, is about “all the richness of calendaring and all the things that make it more than just a collection of meetings”. Microsoft has today revamped its Outlook app for the aforementioned mobile OS’s and announced that Sunrise will eventually be shutting down. Instead, the company is going all in on mobile Outlook – another app that came in by way of acquisition.
Microsoft purchased the Sunrise start-up for a figure rising about $100 million in February.
A new Outlook app for iOS with an improved design and calendar is the first demonstration of their newly joined effort, with an updated Android app scheduled for release in November and a new Windows app to follow. I always wanted Microsoft to bring their Outlook for iOS email experience to Windows and it seems to be happening.
While the Outlook app on iOS has received notable design improvements, the mail app’s Android version is getting an entirely overhauled look to make use of Google’s Material Design language. The cross-platform calendar app gained a lot of traction before the acquisition, but much of the functionality is being rolled into the main Outlook mobile app in future updates. Additionally, around 20 percent of those people have more than one account linked to Outlook, which is a sign that they may be relying on it for both work and personal email. If you love Outlook, get ready to be happy.
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New event icons now exist in the main inbox, for instance, allowing users to see details and RSVP without having to enter the invitation email.
