Microsoft delays Outlook.com upgrade

Outlook.com

For a long while now, Microsoft has slowly been rolling out the revamped version of Outlook.com, and some consternation was recently caused when an error message suggested some users might not get the overhauled version of the webmail service until next year – although Microsoft has clarified that this isn't the case.

This was all prompted by an error that popped up when some users tried to share their Outlook calendar with others, which talked about the upgrade of Outlook.com accounts and said the process wouldn't be finished until the "first half of 2017".

Microsoft was quick to point out that this error message's assertion is, in fact, a mistake.

The company told the Register: "The error message incorrectly stated the date as the first half of 2017; we're updating this message to reflect the latest migration schedule. We are in the final stages of the Outlook.com migration, with nearly 90% of our active users already migrated."

So no one will have to wait until next year, apparently – but that final 10% of users will have to hold on for some time longer, with Microsoft not clarifying exactly how long.

Summer deadline

Microsoft had previously promised that everyone would be migrated over to the new Outlook.com by the end of summer at the latest, so that clearly isn't going to happen.

In its most recent statement, the company explained that a small percentage of users would take longer to receive the upgrade due to some of the features they're using, such as shared calendars.

The new Outlook.com boasts a redesigned interface, and introduces a number of features from Office 365, such as the ability to take flight confirmation emails and add the relevant travel plans to your calendar automatically.

There are certainly some neat and clever touches with the revamp, although adjusting to the new UI may take a little time.

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).