Microsoft Gives Peek at Outlook 11

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,105924,tk,dn101402X,00.asp">http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,105924,tk,dn101402X,00.asp</a><br /><br />I'm a big fan of Outlook, and find that it does pretty much everything I need, but improvements are always welcome. I'm waiting for Microsoft to release the "Stops Outlook from locking up and crashing when you hit send" patch to be released, but I guess they're still working on that one. :wink: <br /><br />The thing that concerns me with every new version of Outlook is that the ActiveSync team seems to be a blip on the radar of the Outlook team - some of what is broken in ActiveSync (like those obscure error code messages) is deeply rooted in Outlook. Until Outlook adds the ability to cross-references a long error code (000x0d0ee00x) with a specific appointment or contact entry, you'll never know which one is corrupt. I hope one day the Outlook guys will realize what a huge impact they have on Pocket PC users and alter their plans accordingly. I can dream right?<br /><br />"Microsoft recently gave the first public preview of its upcoming Outlook 11 e-mail client software, and several technology managers said they liked what they saw. The features that Microsoft showed off would answer some of the most pressing needs of Outlook users, according to attendees at Microsoft's MEC 2002 conference in Anaheim, California. Outlook 11 is to include a redesigned user interface and new capabilities for threading, sorting, and caching messages when it ships next year, likely in the same time frame as Office 11...<br /><br />...Jensen Harris, lead program manager for the Titanium upgrade, said many of the changes coming in Outlook 11 were designed to simplify the software for users. For example, Microsoft is trying to give the new Outlook user interface a more efficient layout with added space for displaying messages, Harris said."

[Zensbikeshop]

Are there any screen shots anywhere?

[Jason Dunn]

Are there any screen shots anywhere?

http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/ol11.htm

Google works wonders! :wink:

[Zensbikeshop]

Thanks... I'm sure your other visitors may appreciate the link...

[Zensbikeshop]

Looks good.. like the preview pane being full height.

Just hope it's a bit less flakey ;-)

[pacer1079]

The thing that concerns me with every new version of Outlook is that the ActiveSync team seems to be a blip on the radar of the Outlook team..."

I don' know if I completely agree with that statement. What I mean is, while activesync may be a blip on the Outlook team's radar, Pocket Outlook, PocketPCs, and email, is not.
One of the features I've read about (I can't remeber where I read it, so I can't swear to it being fact or rumor) is that Microsoft had developed a way for Outlook to communicate with Exchange server remotely AND securely. In my opinion, Microsoft has always sold not to market that does exist, but one that will. And they are rich enough to just throw a product into the market and take a loss in the short term until their product is ubiquitous. An example of how this has worked for Microsoft would be IE and the host of services they knew all along would become available through the Internet. I mean, as a techie, I always expected great things from the www. But every once in a while, I see something and say to myself "How freakin' cool is that! Who'da thunk it?" Micrososft thunk it, that's who.
An example of how this will work for Microsoft in the future is the XBOX, which they will continue to compete against Sony with, just throwing more and more money at the product, slowly building a loyal fan base until they reign supreme.
That's not to say their approach is foolproof. An example of how this approach has completely failed can be seen in the "Active Desktop" feature. Anyone know of ANY current active desktop apps? I digress...
At the same time, Microsoft, in my opinion, is also good at steering the market in the direction they choose. An example of this is only providing broadband support on the XBOX. It becomes a compelling reason to get broadband, which helps all of Microsofts business units.
I think what Microsoft is doing here is selling to the market that has not matured yet. The wireless market. And they will steer us to it and we will lap it up. Between the current reasonable price per seat of activesync server, this new "secure" means of connecting to an exchange server, the fact that activesync is being built in to the new version of Exchange, and connectivity becoming more available on portable devices, Microsoft may see Activesync as a product with a relatively short life span. Instead, they will steer us all torward wireless by compelling us with a much smarter, cooler, and dare I say better way of doing things, from syncing information to mangaging iinformation
Sorry for the long diatribe.
Just my two cents...