Having used a number of email clients, some web based, I am certain that GMail is in a league of it’s own. And yet people KEEP missing this… If you prefer to stay away from Web based email, then no worries, but otherwise, why oh why?
I have written about GMail before, more than once. It really is very good indeed from a design POV. Each person will have their own opinion on who they trust more (less), Microsoft (Hotmail), Yahoo (Yahoo mail) or Google (GMail) and may indeed not trust new fangled Web applications for their email. Fine.
But if you are going to use a Web based email program, why, oh why would you not use GMail and would use one of the lesser shadows in that space? I can only think it’s because people do not know about GMail or do not know how to get it. That makes some sense. Go to Yahoo and ‘Mail’ is prominent. Not heard of Hotmail? Then you must be one of a small number. But Google. What do they have to connect Fred and Jane’s thought process to Google when they think of email?
Well, not a lot.
And that, I guess, is the explanation.
But what about the reason? Why, Google, do you not seek for GMail to become as household an association as Hotmail? Rhetorical yes, but, I would be intrigued to know…
