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Google is discontinuing Inbox

fastcompany.com

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Re: Google is discontinuing Inbox

#41

Post by oihoaihsfoiahsf »

fra wrote: post #4
nathancahill wrote: post #2

Everyone suspected it for a while. Their active Twitter account refused for months to say when the app would be updated for the iPhone X. Personally, I suspect that they painted themselves into a bit of a corner with the tech stack they choose for Inbox. They used a unique C++ to JS compiler to run Inbox in the browser. This worked decently well in Chrome, but the experience in other browsers has been a lot choppier.…

When you have a successful product people love, you don't sunset it because the tech stack is too cumbersome. This has to mean that the product wasn't seeing the adoption they were hoping for.

I'm sure it's a little bit of both, right? If 99% of Gmail users had voluntarily migrated to Inbox, I'm quite certain it would not be getting shut down. That doesn't preclude that there is a significant contingent out there that loves Inbox.

(BTW the same goes for the old HN hobby-horse, Reader. If it had had a billion users, it would never have gotten shut down.)

Re: Google is discontinuing Inbox

#43

Post by CommieBobDole »

DannyBee wrote: post #13

It's really interesting to see the super-knee jerk reaction here when the article itself even says that most of the features made their way into gmail. (I was a heavy inbox user, and i am happy with the stuff that made it's way into gmail). Outside of some of the bundling features, i'm curious what actual difference people are complaining about here.

I never used Inbox, but this seems like another sign that Google has moved to the next stage in the corporate life cycle; they don't need a testbed for innovative features because they're no longer in the innovation business.

Re: Google is discontinuing Inbox

#44

Post by akerl_ »

DannyBee wrote: post #26
coldtea wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's really interesting to see the super-knee jerk reaction here when the article itself even says that most of the features made their way into gmail. We didn't just want "most [Inbox] features into gmail". We wanted Inbox's UI and basic approach further developed.

Again, i don't see most comments saying that here.

Can confirm that what I want is Inbox's UI. The ease of postponing items into the "Snoozed" queue, and low-effort addition of task items, are both lacking from the stock GMail app.

Re: Google is discontinuing Inbox

#45

Post by vidarh »

explodingcamera wrote: post #20

I'm actually thinking of switching to a different email service because of this. Gmail is just way to cluttered for my taste, inbox's model where you can just check off emails and they're gone was such a time-saver and a fresh breath of air. I hope I can find something as simplistic and at the same time feature rich somewhere else :(

I've wanted to for a long time;Inbox put that on hold because it made my email manageable again. Clearly it's time to start looking for alternatives again.

Re: Google is discontinuing Inbox

#46

Post by domoritz »

Noooooo. I love bundling and the Gmail UI is just so cluttered with stuff.

EDIT: Okay, they are porting bundling to Gmail. I hope they also clean up the UI. The settings dialog is a nightmare to look at.

Re: Google is discontinuing Inbox

#47

Post by fernandopj »

I'm a happy and heavy user of Inbox, this came as a shock to me. I guess I'll wait and see by January how is Gmail, but I'm not looking forward.

> By retiring Inbox, is Google losing a valuable ability to experiment with new email functionality in a way that’s tough to do with a billion-user mainstay?

I also agree with this. If Google decided to let Inbox go, same way as with Wave, then the next "email UX experiment" will be another codename. Why not use the existing Inbox product to do the next innovation? Its base is formed by users which already showed adoption to new ideas and UI.

Re: Google is discontinuing Inbox

#48

Post by vertoc »

DannyBee wrote: post #13

It's really interesting to see the super-knee jerk reaction here when the article itself even says that most of the features made their way into gmail. (I was a heavy inbox user, and i am happy with the stuff that made it's way into gmail). Outside of some of the bundling features, i'm curious what actual difference people are complaining about here.

Gmail doesn't have reminders - and my reminders that I've saved and snoozed, many of which are past March of next year will apparently just disappear once Inbox is sunsetted?

Re: Google is discontinuing Inbox

#50

Post by simeng »

akerl_ wrote: post #44
DannyBee wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again, i don't see most comments saying that here.

Can confirm that what I want is Inbox's UI. The ease of postponing items into the "Snoozed" queue, and low-effort addition of task items, are both lacking from the stock GMail app.

I just checked and you can actually set swipe left to snooze in the gmail app now.
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