14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla Thunderbird is without a doubt the preferred desktop email client for millions of users, even though you could count the number of truly major improvements it received in the last couple of years on the fingers of one hand.
And this is mostly because there are only a few alternatives out there and the ones that exist come with their own shortcomings that convince users to stick with Mozilla’s email client.
Microsoft has tried to offer users a worthy email client with the release of Windows 10, and while the built-in Outlook Mail app is already a pretty good app, there’s clearly room for improvements here too.
And now the company is giving another attempt at making the Mail app the absolute best email client on Windows 10 with the release of the Fall Creators Update, which is going to bring not only feature updates and refinements but also a new look as part of the Fluent Design System.
New animations and visual effects
Previously known as Project Neon, this new design language will make the Mail app look absolutely stunning, as you can see in the screenshot below, which comes from the Fluent Design presentation video that Microsoft showed for the first time at Build earlier this week.
This is actually one of the reasons it’s safer not to get your hopes too high for this design just yet, as it might all be just a mockup and the updated app could look a bit different.
On the other hand, it turns out that Microsoft presented an improved Mail app during a separate session at Build, and the email client featured some unannounced features.
For example, in addition to blur and transparency in some areas, like the left sidebar, the application also featured light animations when the user was moving the mouse cursor over sidebar items. A smooth transition animation was also played when opening or closing messages or the settings pane.
The app itself uses a borderless design, but this is no longer a new thing, as the majority of Windows 10 apps feature this already, though with Fluent Design it all seems to blend together nicely.
The new Mail app should show up in insider builds in the coming weeks and months, while everyone else should receive it with the Fall Creators Update in September.
