Microsoft has introduced a significant overhaul to its collaboration and video conferencing platform, Microsoft Teams, ushering in a new era of productivity for Windows and Mac users. This upgraded version of Teams not only promises to enhance performance but also offers a more streamlined and intuitive design, making work smarter and more efficient.
According to Microsoft, this revamped app for Microsoft Teams marks a notable improvement over the previous version, boasting up to twice the speed and consuming up to 50% less memory and disk space. These enhancements are set to redefine how users collaborate and communicate within Teams.
The company’s aim was to reimagine Teams from the ground up, delivering a faster, simpler, and more flexible application to facilitate productivity and efficient collaboration. Microsoft emphasizes the focus on high-quality performance and key improvements in reliability, security, and IT management, aligning with the evolving needs of organizations.
The foundation of this transformation lies in a shift from the Electron framework used in the “classic Teams” to Microsoft’s Edge WebView2 technology and the React JavaScript library. These technological choices have led to significant performance gains. By utilizing Edge WebView2, Teams shares resources with the web browser, resulting in a remarkable reduction of memory usage and disk space consumption by up to 50%. Initial tests indicate that the “new Teams” loads the app, joins meetings, and switches between chats and channels approximately two times faster, while also occupying 70% less disk space.
Mac users will especially appreciate this update, as Teams now runs natively on Mac, ensuring a smoother and more optimized app experience. Enhanced security measures are in place, thanks to a containerized app model, simplified app updates through Microsoft AutoUpdate, and more efficient utilization of device resources. Furthermore, users with multiple high-resolution monitors will notice improved performance during calls and meetings.
The Teams interface receives a makeover as well, with the Fluent design language system bringing several UI improvements. These enhancements aim to provide a simplified and streamlined user experience, offering better personalization options, improved notification management, and increased efficiency through fewer clicks.
Other notable improvements include Teams’ automatic selection of light or dark mode based on system settings, better support for users with color sensitivity by using Windows 11 contrast themes, and enhanced keyboard shortcuts for easier navigation between activity feed and chat threads. Additionally, the “mark all as read” feature for activity and chats or channels is set to debut soon.
Microsoft’s AI assistant, Copilot, plays a role in this upgrade, working alongside users to enhance task management. Copilot can analyze chats and calls, providing concise summaries of key points, action items, and decisions. These summaries can be easily shared and collaborated on within Teams. Utilizing Microsoft Graph, Copilot can scour through documents, presentations, emails, calendar invites, notes, and contacts to compile relevant information into a single, accessible location.
The new Microsoft Teams is currently rolling out, with Windows and Mac users having the opportunity to install or upgrade automatically from the “classic Teams” in the coming months. This update promises to elevate the Teams experience, making collaboration and communication more efficient than ever before.
