With a short statement published online, Microsoft has officially announced the definitive farewell to its Mail service by the end of the year, together with that of the apps connected to it such as Calendar and Contacts: no possibility of second thoughts nor of granting any extension to the use of three products which, evidently , have not achieved the success expected by the Redmond giant among users.
“Support for Windows Mail, Calendar, and Contacts will end on December 31, 2024”we read in the message. “We are currently moving existing users to the new Outlook for Windows”. This essentially means that starting from 1 January 2025 it will no longer be possible to send or receive email messages via Windows Mailfix or modify appointments or events in the Calendar, much less synchronize your Contacts. The only possibility for users who have loved and used these applications will be to export messages, events already present on the calendar and contacts.
The problem, for many, is what will happen next at Microsoft, given that the path already seems well traced, even if it makes most people turn up their noses. It is no mystery, in fact, that the alternative already present at Microsoft, i.e Outlookis not particularly appreciated, and the fate of the three applications appeared to many users as an attempt by the company to force them to join the new Outlook, another product that has certainly not achieved great numbers.
After many years of development, in fact, Microsoft has relaunched its historic email management program in a new guise for Windows 11. As anticipated, however, the problems reported by users are numerous: there are those on the Microsoft Store who complain about the excessive slowness of the program, those who point the finger at the confusing and poorly designed interface and even those who speak of limited functionality due to the fact that a limited number of lower than account.
For users who want to migrate to the new Outlook, thepreview through the Test button located at the top right of the Mail, Calendar or classic Outlook apps, it will be possible to export data from the old applications. For its part, Microsoft obviously recommends the switch, underlining the fact that the program is completely free and equipped with integrated artificial intelligence.
The Calendar and the section dedicated to Contacts are also included, which will make up for the lack of apps closing at the end of 2024. Users who download the new Outlook will be able to benefit from 15 gigabytes of storage space on email and 5 gigabytes on the cloud by Microsoft.
For those who already have
evaluated the new program negatively and fears seeing his experience worsen. There are Thunderbird alternatives to Firefox and obviously the package made available by Google with Gmail, Contacts and Calendar.