Last week, only two months after Microsoft acquired Acompli for over $200 million, Outlook for iOS was released. This is a rebrand of the existing Acompli app that set out to conquer one goal, to make mobile email better. What set the email platform apart were the targeted users: professionals who needed a powerful platform while away from their computer.
Initial Thoughts
It can be hard to imagine getting excited about an email app, but after using it for the past few days, the feedback is mostly positive. Litmus recently posted updated stats showing 53 percent of emails in 2014 were opened on mobile, with Outlook desktop opens decreasing by 33 percent last year. Litmus attributes the decrease in Outlook opens to businesses shifting to online services like Office365 and Google Apps. With Apple iPhone controlling 28 percent of the market, it will be interesting to see if this release will grab up some of the market share.
Sharp Focus on Your Important Email
While using this new application, users might notice messages are divided into two groups: focused and other. The focused group is a collection of emails automatically identified by the application over time. Outlook learns whom users normally interact with and places their messages in the central location for quick access. In addition to easier filters, the app allows users to schedule messages to return back to the inbox at a future time as a reminder.
A New Enhanced Calendar
With an integrated calendar, users don’t have to leave the mail app to check on appointments and meetings. With the cool send availability feature, the app composes a message with the times the user is free. Users can still create invites for a specific time, but productivity can certainly be increased when using this new feature.
Attaching Documents
Important files users need day in and day out are often buried in inboxes. Even if found attachments are often difficult to attach in mobile applications. The new files section of the app puts users’ recent files in a tab, allowing for quick viewing. If users need to send a file, a quick tap generates a new message with the file attached.
Future of Mobile Email
Mobile devices are already being used regularly to quickly check in, reply, or archive unnecessary messages. Enhancements like the ones above revolve around how users are starting to use mobile email for more complex tasks. Ultimately, applications like mobile Outlook and Mailbox are the preliminary answers to the growing needs of mobile users seen in 2014.
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