Gmail Gets an Overhaul
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, rolled out a major revamp of Gmail aimed at helping it compete with Microsoft Office. The redesign took roughly two years to develop and brought a more secure inbox along with a range of new functions, both online and offline.
This piece looks back at what changed in that Gmail overhaul and why it mattered for businesses relying on Gmail day to day.
The most expensive update
This particular update will be the most expensive one that Google’s G-Suite has had and if the Mountain View giant is to seriously compete with Office, it’ll need it. Analysts believe that G-Suite’s 2017 revenue was around $2 billion, which is a tenth of the amount Office earned for Microsoft last year.
Gmail will now predict what you want to say…
A rollout coming your way
There’s a big visual shake-up for Gmail web, as well as new functions like email snoozing, nudging and a confidential mode. G-Suite had already added instant messaging and spreadsheets to its repertoire before this latest update, which rolled out at the end of April, with 1.4 billion users receiving an opt-in invitation.
According to Gmail’s lead product manager, Jacob Bank, the overhaul aims to make users feel “safer and more productive”, which makes it all seem like the move is towards business use rather than personal.
The confidentiality mode lets senders apply expiration dates to emails, or completely revoke them if necessary. There’s also Integrated Rights Management, which lets senders prohibit the copying, downloading, forwarding and even printing of selected messages.
The nudge
Bringing Google’s Tensor processing chips into the mix, Gmail can now offer assistant features like nudges to remind users to reply to forgotten emails, or even suggest replies to received emails.
This move comes at a good time because Alphabet Inc’s latest earning report caused shares to drop sharply. Top and bottom lines were better than expected, but it seems that the company is burning through money and not increasing its profits to match. There’s also concerns about new data protection regulations – after all, the company is reliant on data-driven advertising revenue. Conversely, Microsoft reported pretty healthy stock.
It looks like it’s on, people…
