Earlier this year, Microsoft acquired Acompli – the makers of popular mobile calendaring app Sunrise, and have so continued to offer Sunrise as a standalone app across a multitude of platforms.
As of today, Microsoft have begun to merge both Sunrise and the company’s own homegrown email app, Outlook, into a single platform. The first preview of the combined effort were released today in the form of an Outlook update on iOS.
While Microsoft is expected to bring the same update to its Android version shortly – which, from rumor, is expected to feature a heavy emphasis on Material Design – the updated Outlook for iOS app bring with it a visual overhaul that emphasizes clean and easily digestible information.
The expectation thus far is that Sunrise as a standalone app will soon dissapear from app stores. “Over time we’re going to bring all of the best features from Sunrise to Outlook for iOS and Android,” Microsoft’s Pierre Valade, director of product for Outlook Mobile, explained. “At some point down the line we’ll discontinue Sunrise. We’ll give people enough time to switch, but we want to make sure we focus on Outlook where there are already 30 million people using it.
Microsoft have, so far, not offered a clear date on when Sunrise will ultimately be pulled from app stores across platforms. However, the firm appears clearly focused on improving Outlook with Sunrise’s best features.
What are your thoughts on Microsoft’s appropriation of Sunrise’s features? What email client do you favour on mobile devices? Let us know in the comments below!
