Close
  • Latest News
  • 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
Logo
  • Latest News
  • 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
    Home Applications
    • Applications

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

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    April 28, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Skype for Business

      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 is a contributor to 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.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      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.
      © 2021 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.

      ×