Google is rolling out a new update to Gmail and has been dropping constant hints about the same. This new update which has been a very expensive affair on Google’s part comes many years after the last revamp which was done in 2013. Since a very long time, there has been no update to the Gmail’s UI or its related app. However, this time Google is gearing up for a solid competition to Microsoft’s office suite which is giving a tough front to Google’s own office assistance software – the G suite. Previously, Google added spreadsheets and instant messaging features to its G suite platform. This new update brings better security and an offline feature for Gmail. Surely with this new upgradation to the Gmail platform, Google is taking things farther up the quality spectrum this time.
Jacob Bank, the Product Manager for Gmail also added his words about this new upgrade: "This is an entire rewrite of our flagship, most-used product," It is noteworthy that Gmail is a service which 1.4billion people use monthly, around the world. This new revamp is going to include restructuring of email storage databases, unified three duelling systems for syncing messages across devices and upgraded computers underpinning the service. Google is also going to heavily leverage AI capabilities using Tensor processing chips which will enable smart-assistant features such as "suggested replies" to messages and "nudges" to remind recipients about unread important emails.
As we mentioned, this new update has costed Google a hefty amount. Although the officials denied to quote a number, but parent Alphabet reported on Monday that its first-quarter capital expenditures nearly tripled year-over-year to $7.3 billion. Ruth Porat, CFO of Gmail did offer some data about the expenditure by stating that most cash burns happened as a result of hardware purchases to support expanding the use of machine learning, which plays a main role in automated programs and features like the ones that can identify spam and sorting emails on basis of importance.
The new Gmail also offers a lot to users from a business and corporate perspective. The new offline feature will provide offline access to up to 90 days of emails to the users. Alongside this new functionality, there has been a much-demanded feature of message expiration for carrying out confidential and sensitive communications. To accomplish this, Gmail will be rolling out new ‘Confidential’ button which will be embedded in the Compose section while sending the emails. This new option will allow the mail to time-limit its access to recipients and will also require them to enter a one-time passcode sent to their phones to read it.
Many might think that these new updates can possibly fall under legalities and may be a cause for trouble. However, Google has ensured that is surely not the case. The new settings do not intervene with corporate email retention policies or present new hurdles to law enforcement. ‘Nudges’ is another new feature which accompanies this new Gmail upgrade. Nudges will be responsible for reminding the recipients to check unread emails. The company has predicted that ‘Nudges’ will lead 8 percent of business users each week to remember to follow-up on something with high priority. The UI also changes group utility tasks like Calendar and note-taking services into the same page as the emails thus making it slightly easier for the users to access these services from a single source.
There is a simple step for people who want to get their hands on the new Gmail and want to try out the new features. The users will need to visit the Gmail webpage and then they simply need to click on the cog wheel and then click on the ‘Try the New Gmail’ option. If they want to revert back to the normal Gmail, they can do so by clicking on the cogwheel again and then tapping on ‘Go back to classic Gmail’.
