Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s strategy to consolidate users of its cloud based services continues as it enhanced its offerings in the wearable domain this week. The most recent update to Microsoft Outlook on iOS adds to the flexibility as well as functionality of the email app’s Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Watch interface. Users of Apple watch will more easily be able to view emails and answer messages by tapping the notification icon. It results in an Outlook app opening up in which you can utilize a pre-formatted reply or dictate a fresh message.
The latest Outlook for Apple Watch is an extension of the Outlook users are familiar with. Focused Inbox Watch notifications ensure you never miss anything important. Users have the ability to browse and go through complete emails from their wrist. They have the facility to archive, flag, delete or schedule them to appear afterwards. A new feature is Quick Replies which offers pre-written responses as well as voice dictation for an increased personal touch. The Glance screen lets you view unread emails as well as the next calendar appointment.
Microsoft has devoted time to make sure that its offerings are supported on Apple Watch with Skype, OneNote, OneDrive and PowerPoint coming in the first lot. In the past few weeks added to the list are Wunderlist, Sunrise and Yammer.
Microsoft is building apps for Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android Wear such as Microsoft Translator, OneNote for notes dictation as well as OneDrive watch faces.
Microsoft has its own wearable product known as the Microsoft Band. But the organization is looking at giving support for the Android Wear and Apple Watch products. With this strategy, Microsoft wants to attract more customers. The Apple Watch boasts of 8,500 apps but requires additional apps to operate independently without a smartphone.
The factor common to all these apps is the cloud. All the apps make it mandatory for users to have a Microsoft account and leverage Microsoft’s cloud services. So we are looking at both cloud and wearable first future.
Sources: forbes, ibtimes
