Microsoft debuts Teams chat platform with support for Mac & iOS

Microsoft on Wednesday announced Teams, its own attempt at a workplace chat platform akin to rivals like HipChat and Slack, with support for Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, and the Web.

The platform integrates with Microsoft's Office 365 suite, as well as outside services like Hootsuite, Intercom, and Zendesk, Microsoft said. Chats can be persistent or threaded, and of course public or private. For voice and video conferencing, Microsoft is offering Skype integration.

Workspaces can be populated with stickers, GIFs, and emoji, as well more practical enhancements through support for extensions and open APIs.

Microsoft is promising enterprise-grade security, including two-factor authentication, but also single sign-on through Active Directory, and support for its cross-app membership program, Office 365 Groups.

At the moment Teams is only a preview stage, and limited to Office 365's Business and Enterprise plans. It is, however, being tested in 181 countries and 18 languages, and will make its official debut in early 2017.

8 Comments

ireland 17435 comments · 18 Years

About 8 years ago

Yucky hinge.

rogifan_new 4297 comments · 9 Years

Looks ugly.

razorpit 1793 comments · 17 Years

So is the plan that this replaces Skype for Business err, Lync on the Mac? Or is this the usual case where Microsoft release 2-3 products that kind of do the same things but each does it just half-assed enough that you can't really pick one over the other?

TheINTJ 1 comment · 8 Years

razorpit said:

So is the plan that this replaces Skype for Business err, Lync on the Mac? Or is this the usual case where Microsoft release 2-3 products that kind of do the same things but each does it just half-assed enough that you can't really pick one over the other?

This is not a Skype for Business replacement. From first appearances this platform brings together quite a few other collaborative applications in the Office 365 suite and allows you to use them in one place. It actually looks pretty slick to me. My only worry is that MS is working a little too fast in bringing all of these features which makes me question what the level of support will be. It won't be a good look to enterprises if they become like Google with Google Apps for Business.