Microsoft announces it is working on a new Skype for Business client for the Mac

I saw this earlier in the week:

In a webcast today, Microsoft have announced they are working on a new Skype for Business client for the Mac.

Shawn Thomas, a Principal PM in the Skype for Business is heading up the team which will build the new client.

The current status is that there are already existing clients, and they can be used today:

However, they are also building a new client built from the ground up, using Swift and taking advantage of the latest OSX features. I have to say, it looks amazing. It’s leap-frogged the Windows client in terms of look and feel.

“Quality will be the first step for this client” – they are doubling down on having fewer features but very high quality. They acknowledge the struggles clients currently have with the 2013 Lync Mac client.

What follows are some screenshots – however these are NOT locked and are subject to change as testing and user feedback feeds back. They are directional though and show some of the available capabilities:

Timelines

These are indicative and may change, but give an indication of what’s coming and when to expect it:

Want to get involved? Here’s how

Most people will join the program at the Preview stage, so look out for this happening in the first quarter of 2016!

Written by Tom Morgan

Tom is a Microsoft Teams Platform developer and Microsoft MVP who has been blogging for over a decade. Find out more.

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