With their new upcoming features, the popular video-conferencing app Zoom is all set to lock horns with the likes of Google and Microsoft.
According to recent reports, Zoom is currently working towards launching their very own email service along with a calendar app.
The company first came under the limelight when their business skyrocketed during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic after which it subsequently took a big hit from the bad press due to glaring security loopholes.
Now, post restoring confidence in their video-conferencing tool looks like Zoom is planning to expand its services. As per the report, Zoom has already begun working on their email service and might roll it out as an early beta version to select users. But, when it comes to the calendar app, it is not yet clear if they have started developing it yet.
Zoom is yet to issue an official statement about the expansion of their services, however, it is well understood why they would be motivated to make such a move.
As mentioned earlier, the company’s claim to fame came as a byproduct of the need that was generated by the social distancing norms which forced millions of people to work from home.
But, as the pandemic is slowly on its way to departure and things are returning to the normal, Zoom might find it hard to sustain themselves by sticking only to the video-conferencing space.
Therefore, it is a smart move on the part of Zoom to prepare in advance and venture into areas that are parallel to the video conferencing. Hence the email and calendar app.
That being said, while the idea of Zoom slowly becoming an entire suite of tools as opposed to being focused only on video calling seems appealing, the question that arrives here is – Can it compete with the superior offerings of Google and Microsoft?
Zoom Email And Calendar App To Rival With Google & Microsoft: Can It Sustain?
The tech giants Google and Microsoft both offer a wide selection of tools with video-conferencing just being a small part of them. Thus, there is no doubt Zoom’s future offering will face a brutal competition when it sees the light of the day. But that doesn’t essentially mean Zoom will enter a losing battle.
Given that video-conferencing is still their core offering with the email service and calendar app are introduced as add-ons, Zoom has a fairly good chance of standing out of the competition.
While to its existing users, it will evoke confidence to keep using the platform, to new ones it might appeal as a minimalistic set of tools that helps them efficiently manage a singular goal- conducting and keeping track of video meetings/conferences.
The same doesn’t apply for Google Workspace and Office 365. Besides lacking a feature or two in every single tool, the bundled offerings from Google and Microsoft are often encouraged to be used in unison which can often add to annoyance.
Now, it remains to be seen if and when Zoom announces the arrival of these new features. We will keep you updated. Until then, stay tuned.
