Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Microsoft Kicks Off ‘Phased’ Skype for Business Preview for Mac

    Written by

    Pedro Hernandez
    Published April 28, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Last year around this time, Microsoft launched Skype for Business as an update to Lync, the Redmond, Wash., software giant’s enterprise communications software platform. Now, users stuck with Lync for Mac 2011 can get an early taste of what the software has in store for the platform when it finally launches later this year.

      Skype for Business is the culmination of a multiyear effort to integrate Lync and Skype, blending the former’s enterprise-grade capabilities with the latter’s consumer-like ease of use. In 2014, the company announced that Skype for Business would replace Lync. Now, a year after Windows users have had time to get accustomed to the new experience, Mac users can share in it.

      Microsoft has released the first phase of its Skype for Business Preview for Mac, announced Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Office 365 Client Applications, yesterday. “The Skype for Business Mac Preview will release in three cumulative stages leading to public availability planned for Q3 of 2016. Today’s initial release lets you see and join your meetings,” he wrote in an April 26 blog post.

      Business customers can request early access to the Mac client at SkypePreview.com. Phase one of the preview displays Skype meetings for the day and the following day, based upon a user’s Outlook calendar. Clicking on a meeting will launch the meeting workspace, along with content viewing, chat and full-screen video functionality.

      Helping colleagues keep in touch is the point of the preview’s second phase, according to Kaushal Mehta, a Microsoft Skype for Business senior program manager.

      “We’ll be adding instant messaging, presence and contacts in the next preview release coming in early summer,” he said in a separate blog post. “You can continue to use Lync for Mac 2011 side-by-side with Skype for Mac Preview, giving you continued access to messaging and voice features.”

      Finally, the third and final phase, due out this summer will switch on the Mac client’s telephony features. The software requires an Apple Mac system running at least OS X El Capitan.

      Responding to criticisms about Microsoft’s approach to releasing the software in the blog post’s comments, Mehta revealed that the doling out the Mac client in bits and pieces was an intentional decision made to prevent disrupting the workstyles of current users with unfinished software. Enabling instant messaging and presence at this stage could have a negative impact on their productivity, he argued.

      In other Mac-related software updates from Microsoft this month, the company announced a new feature in Excel and Word that improves the discoverability of Office extensions. The Insert menu will now display new add-ins published to the Office Store.

      Also new is an archiving feature in Outlook that helps users declutter their inboxes without fear of permanently deleting important emails. “You can now quickly move an item stored in your Inbox or any other folder to an archive folder. Once moved, the archived items remain accessible and can easily be restored to their original location,” stated Microsoft in an online support document.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a writer for eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.