First, I agree. Microsoft has failed to provide a viable platform for native GUI development, and IMO there is still a place for native desktop applications. Pa

First, I agree. Microsoft has failed to provide a viable platform for native GUI development, and IMO there is still a place for native desktop applications. Part of the reason Windows stayed so prevalent for so long is its rich software ecosystem - arguably, an ecosystem that partially resulted from MS's focus on developers. However, there may be additional reasons for building new products with web tech. Someone already needs to maintain the web versions of these applications. If you're going to offer web access to Outlook, a team needs to be responsible for maintaining that web application. By replacing the native desktop app with a wrapper around their existing web application, Microsoft reduces the need to separately build and maintain features in both platforms.