http://www.stevieg.org/2010/11/comparison-outlook-2010-owa-2010-outlook-2011-features/

With the recent release of Office 2011 for the Mac, Outlook makes a welcome return, spearheading the way toward full feature parity between Outlook on Windows and Mac. Finally, will your Mac users will be able to do everything their Windows counterparts can? Is Outlook 2011 for Mac just an improvement on Entourage 2008 EWS edition, and will Mac users need something like VMware Fusion plus Outlook 2010 to gain all the features they need for full interoperability with Exchange?

And with OWA becoming truly cross-platform, does this provide enough features to by-pass the desktop install of Outlook completely on the Mac and provide email access to Mac users via the browser?

The answer to both those questions isn’t a straightforward one and depends on what you actually need…

After a few weeks of usage, Outlook 2011 feels more like Entourage than than it does Outlook – it seems obvious what code it’s based upon and it’s certainly not inheriting anything from the Windows version. But as a mail client it feels more accomplished than older versions of Entourage did, and is easy to work with if you’re used to Outlook on a Windows PC.

When it comes to OWA 2010 SP1 – There has been a lot of improvement over previous versions, but it seems that the OWA and Outlook teams don’t work closely together, as UI inconsistencies are common both in the way features work and are named (e.g. Calendar sharing features). This is muddled further as OWA’s Options / Exchange Control Panel is essential for Outlook 2010 operation, for example when configuring Unified Messaging features.

Getting down to the nitty gritty of the features however and it’s a complex story. Outlook 2011 doesn’t have feature parity with either Outlook 2010, OWA 2010 or even Outlook 2007. It’s got a smattering of features from all three. OWA 2010 fairs a lot better when it comes to Exchange 2010 feature support (obviously), but misses out useful features like contacts importing that are present in competitor webmail applications like GMail.

To make comparisons a little easier, I’ve went through and checked/tested the features that are most important to me and compiled a short comparison table. It’s definitely version 0.1, so if you think anything is missing or needs amendment, let me know in the comments.

Outlook Comparison Table

Feature Feature Description Outlook 2010 OWA 2010 SP1 Outlook 2011
AD Rights Management Services Protects messages from unauthorised access. Yes Yes Yes
Autodiscover Compatibility Automatic setup of Exchange account Yes N/A Yes
Calendar Preview in Meeting Requests Meeting requests show a preview of adjacent or conflicting appointments Yes No Yes
Conversation Actions Ignore and Clean Up buttons Yes No No
Conversation View Improved Conversation Threading Yes Yes Yes
Cross Forest Mailbox Move Support Auto reconfigure using autodiscover Yes Yes Yes
CSV Contacts Import/Export Import/ Export PST files in a standard format Yes No Yes
Distribution Group Management Management of memberships of Exchange Distribution Groups Yes Yes No
Enchanced Out of Office Set external/internal message and from/to tange Yes Yes Yes
Export PST Allow PST files to be created and data exported Yes No No
Federated Sharing Compatibility Integation to allow access to remote calendar, share local calendar Yes Yes Yes
Group Schedule View Combine Multiple Calendars in One View Yes No Yes
Import PST Allow PST files to be imported to the mailbox Yes No Yes
Instant Search Fast searching using pre-built search index Yes Yes Yes (Using Spotlight)
Integrated E-Mail Archive Online Archive Access Yes Yes No
Internet Calendar Sharing/Subscription iCal Calendar Sharing/Server Side Subscription Yes Yes No
MailTips Server side mail tips for OOF, Large DG, permissions to send or comments Yes Yes No
Multiple Exchange Accounts Multiple accounts with different servers or domains Yes No Yes
Offiline Address Book OAB access and download Yes N/A Yes
Office Communicator Integration Start converations video, call IM Yes Yes (IM) Yes
Outlook Contact Card Photo and Voice Description GAL Photos and UM Name along with availability Yes No No
Outlook Social Connector Plugins for Facebook, LinkedIn Yes No No
Quick Actions Macros to perform multiple or common actions at once Yes No No
Quick View Allows viewing of compatible attachments without leaving Outlook Yes Yes Yes (OS 10.6 required)
Retention and Archive Policy Management Set and view retention policy for folders Yes Yes No
Ribbon Interface Office Fluent User Interface Yes No Yes
Roaming Autocomplete List Stored Nicknames on the server Yes Yes Yes
RSS Aggregator Subscribe to RSS Feeds from Outlook Yes No No
Scheduling Assistance / Availability Service Integration Real time calendar view for meeting and room bookings Yes Yes Yes
Server-side Junk E-mail List Modification of server side junk email allow/block list Yes Yes No
Server-side rules Modification of server side inbox rules Yes Yes No
Text Messaging through ActiveSync Access and Send Text Messages via compatible WinMo 6.5 Device Yes Yes No
Unified Inbox Combined view of Inbox across multiple email accounts. No N/A Yes
Voicemail Play On Phone UM play voicemail on phone Yes Yes No
Voting Buttons Allows approval of moderated messages or voting on user generated emails. Yes Yes No