December 23, 2024

What Is ‘Inbox,’ And Why Is Google So Hyped On It?

Google launched Gmail over a decade ago, and the email service has remained largely unchanged since that fateful April Fool’s Day in 2004. Most of the service’s tweaks have come in the form of user interface adjustments and some new organizational features — until now.

The Silicon Valley giant claims that its new product, Inbox, will help users stay on top of their potentially overwhelming email clutter like never before.

“We want this to be your inbox for the next 10 years,” Alex Gawley, Product Director of Gmail and Inbox, told USA Today.

Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome & Apps, explains why in a blog post: “We get more email now than ever. For many of us, dealing with email has become a daily chore that distracts from what we really need to do—rather than helping us get those things done.”

So, how does Inbox propose to “get those things done”? It’s apparently got these things called “Bundles” for automatic sorting, “Highlights” so you know what’s important at-a-glance and “Reminders” that can be scheduled within the app to make sure you complete every task. There’s even a “snooze” function.

Wait, why haven’t we had a “snooze” for email sooner?

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 6.22.09 PMGoogle

Want it? Inbox began rolling out on Android, iPhone and Google Chrome on Wednesday (October 22) by invitation only. You can request an invite by sending an email to inbox@google.com.

About the author  ⁄ Jessica Hyndman

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