Microsoft has introduced an import tool targeting Gmail users. This email import tool makes switch from Gmail to Outlook.com easy. This tool will be rolling out to everyone over the coming weeks. The tool imports email, contacts from Gmail to Outlook and one can still use Gmail as the send only mail account.
So we’ve introduced new functionality right into Outlook.com that does the heavy lifting for you. All you need to do is follow a few simple steps to connect your Gmail account (using OAuth) to your Outlook.com account (if you don’t already have one, it’s easy to get). This will import your Gmail emails into your Outlook.com inbox and, because you’ve connected both accounts, your Google contacts will automatically appear in Outlook.com. The structure of your inbox, including read/unread status of your emails, will be preserved. The new tool will even set up your Gmail address as a “send-only” account so you can continue to send email from your @gmail.com address, right from Outlook.com, if you still want to.
Microsoft has also claimed in the article that Outlook is a natural choice for those, who are not happy with their email providers, quoting a survey which shows that “discontent with Gmail” is on rise.
At the same time, there are people who aren’t quite as happy with their email service. For example, discontent with Gmail seems to be on the rise. According to a recent study* by market research firm Ipsos, nearly 1 in 4 consumers would switch email providers if it was easier to do. That same study also highlighted the areas that customers identified as most important; these include ensuring ads don’t interfere with the email experience (70%), offering advanced spam filters (69%), providing an easy-to-understand user interface (67%), and not scanning the contents of email to serve ads (58%). We have focused on many of these areas with Outlook.com, and so for those looking to make a change in their personal email provider, Outlook.com is a natural choice.
Source: Outlook blog
