Google Hopes To One Day Replace Gmail With Inbox

An anonymous reader writes Three Inbox by Gmail engineers today answered questions as part of a Reddit AMA session. Most of the answers were tidbits we've heard of before, but one stood out to us: Google plans to eventually replace Gmail with Inbox. In response to the question "Do you think Inbox will replace Gmail on the long road?," lead designer Jason Cornwell gave the following answer: "In the short term, no. In the very long term, we hope so. Inbox is something new — that's why we're launching it as a separate product. We care deeply about Gmail and Gmail users, but in the long run as we add more features to Inbox and respond to user feedback we hope that everyone will want to use Inbox instead of Gmail. Ultimately, our users will decide." The followup question asks how Google believed one email product possibly target both casual (Gmail) and power (Inbox) users, to which Cornwell replied: "They are not aimed at fundamentally different audiences. Both Gmail and Inbox are designed to scale from low volume to high volume users."

Comments

Re:"Ultimately, our users will decide"

[jtownatpunk.net]

Looks like that quote got cut off. Should have been, "Ultimately, our users will decide to use Inbox when we discontinue gmail."

Re:Who's their test group?

[marcello_dl]

for those not remembering, the verb is "to act".
but of course google inbox 2034 will contain the term "actionize" instead.

Re:So what is it?

[Hognoxious]

I'm sure they ask. They ask each other.

Guy with piercings: Hey, look, I made it so when you, like, compose a new email this itty bitty box pops up!

Girl with shaved head: Neato! But it's, like, taking up the whole page. That's so last decade.

[clickety-clicketty-click]

Person of transient gender with dreadlocks: Yay, now you can only see three words at a time. Minimalismo!

GWSH: Better hide those scrollbars. They're so Windows XP! [1]

POTGWD: But we'll need some way to scroll, with the window being so petite.

GWSH: If you, like, move the mouse to the right quickly, that could mean "up" or something.

GWP: Inside the box, or anywhere on the screen?

GWSH & POTGWD: Anywhere on the screen, of course!

All: Awesome!

Chief UX Creative: That's what I like to hear. Let's all hop on our fixies, the whoppachoccacacamochos are on me!

All: Totally awesome!

[1] This is the earliest version any of them have heard of, let alone used.