As advances in technology come thick and fast, we’re looking ahead to 2024 and some of the changes coming your way from Microsoft.
Will there be a Windows 12?
Despite Microsoft previously declaring no more major releases in past years, strong speculation suggests we’re likely to see the release of Windows 12 in 2024. Will it just be an enhanced Windows 11? Will it be a complete shake-up? That’s yet to be revealed, but hints from Microsoft suggest a very new version of Windows is on its way.
A new Outlook for Windows is coming
Microsoft has already announced the new Outlook for Windows set to replace the current Mail and Calendar apps. The change is expected during September 2024, after which time the old apps will no longer be available for download.
Microsoft has advised users won’t need to take any action. But it’s a good idea to let your teams know about the imminent change and even start looking at the new interface: Located in the top-right corner of the Mail or classic Outlook app, you will find a toggle to give the preview a try. You can also read more about getting started when the time comes via Microsoft Support.
With this improved application, Microsoft promises better protection from phishing scams, enables you to have all your accounts in one place (including Gmail and Yahoo!), and even presents new AI capabilities to help you write stronger, mistake-free emails.
Big plans for AI
Microsoft likes to lead with the best when it comes to making technology accessible to all, and in 2024, it plans to do just that with the latest hot tech trend – Artificial Intelligence.
At the start of this year, Microsoft announced a £10 billion investment in Open AI, the creator of ChatGPT. Since then, the natural language technology has already been integrated into the Microsoft search engine, Bing, and the new Outlook app, with further integrations in the making.
End of life for classic Cloud Services
Microsoft has announced it will retire the classic cloud service model at the end of August 2024. Before then, any services deployed using this model must move to extended support cloud services via Azure Resource Manager.
The new era of Microsoft Teams
With the preview already available and a rollout planned for October 2023, there’s a good chance we’ll see this change before 2024, but we’ve slipped it in anyway.
After listening to user feedback since the launch of Teams in 2017, Microsoft has been refining this app. As a result, a newer version has been developed to improve speed, flexibility, performance, and intelligence. The new release can perform two times faster whilst using 50% less memory for improved efficiency (we’re sure this will have countless users jumping for joy!)
You can also expect a very visible change as Microsoft has focused on a feature-rich yet simple interface. The modified design aims to make managing messages, organising channels, and searching for information simpler, with the need for fewer clicks.
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