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This week, the rumor was Google would shut down Gmail on August 1, 2024. It is a baseless hoax that does not make any sense — in spite of everything, Gmail is the cornerstone of Google’s Workspace platform and its account administration system. The truth that many individuals fell for the pretend shutdown discover that circulated on X paints a grim image for Google, although. With the corporate shutting down or rebranding undertaking after undertaking over the previous couple of years, many individuals not discover it implausible that Google may kill a service as important as Gmail. That is an enormous drawback for the corporate.
The rumors began circulating on X after some folks posted a pretend e-mail that was supposedly from Google, saying that the corporate was “sunsetting Gmail.” It was accompanied by a prolonged however finally empty clarification of why the corporate determined to do that and that you just would not have entry to your emails from August 1, 2024, onwards. To be further clear, as soon as extra, that is utterly false and pretend — Google by no means made this announcement. I will not even hyperlink it right here or present it to be able to keep away from spreading it additional.
What adopted was fascinating to see. Google shortly began trending on Twitter, with many individuals becoming a member of in on the hoax and working with it. There have been many extra individuals who truly fell for it, although. Android knowledgeable Mishaal Rahman shared that even individuals who ought to know higher appear to have had their doubts if it was a pretend (“a techie I do know IRL,” as he describes that particular person).
Idiot me as soon as, disgrace on you
Idiot me twice, disgrace on me
This exhibits the precarious state of affairs Google is at the moment in relating to its product technique. Many individuals really feel like they’ve been burned one too many occasions by the corporate. Whereas it’s regular and wholesome for corporations to close down companies after they don’t work or after they don’t make sufficient cash, it seems like Google isn’t in a position to follow issues in the long term, making clear that it as a rule doesn’t have a long-term technique. This couldn’t be any more true for giant tasks like recreation streaming service Stadia, which was launched with a lot fanfare and an enormous funds in 2019 solely to be shut down simply 4 years later.
Stadia is probably going probably the most outstanding instance in current historical past, however there are a ton extra. Different bold tasks like Google+, Glass, Hangouts, Google Domains, and even the less-than-two-year-old Pixel Cross, which was supposed to present you a brand new cellphone each two years, skilled untimely deaths. This shakes shopper confidence, with folks finally not trusting that their most popular Google apps and companies will stick round.
Complicated rebranding efforts make issues worse
Google Pockets is Google Pay is Google Pockets
One other drawback is that Google is all too fast to kill and relaunch merchandise which might be laborious for outsiders to grasp, resulting in additional complicated and unfavourable headlines. Was it actually essential to go from Google Pockets to Google Pay solely to return to Google Pockets once more? Did Google actually must kill Google Play Music solely to construct one more music streaming service from scratch within the type of YouTube Music? Did Google actually must kill Google Now in favor of Assistant, which it now appears to be within the technique of changing with Gemini? And don’t even get me began on Inbox.
Whereas individuals who need to depend on Google merchandise must take care of all these technique switches that appear to occur on a whim, others are trucking alongside completely fantastic with competing merchandise. Google went from Google Now to Assistant to Gemini, whereas Apple is simply fortunately trucking together with its less complicated however completely purposeful Siri. The place Google went from Google Music to Google Play Music to YouTube Music, the Spotify model has existed largely unchanged since 2008. These are just some examples — there are various extra.
This additionally has implications for Google’s {hardware} technique. Would you belief an organization that’s identified to ax merchandise on a whim to supply software program updates to your cellphone for seven years straight, as Google does now with the Pixel 8? Or would you go to an organization with a confirmed observe file of providing related ranges of long-time assist for its merchandise, like Apple? For many individuals, this has grow to be a simple selection. Simply have a look at which telephones are the preferred on the earth.
The Gmail sunsetting hoax exhibits how large Google’s issues are
Google must show that it may be dependable
The purpose is that Google must take this “sunsetting Gmail” hoax critically. It must transcend tweets like “Gmail is right here to remain,” as a result of it is finished that previously. Just some months earlier than Stadia was discontinued, the corporate advised prospects to not fear, solely to show round and do it anyway.
With folks reacting this strongly to a Gmail shutdown hoax, Google wants to think about what it will possibly do to regain shopper belief. It is clear that whereas persons are caught with Google for a lot of elements of their on a regular basis lives, they’ll search for options if there are any. To attain that, there is not a fast in a single day repair. The one factor that Google can do is show to prospects and customers over and over that they will depend on Google, and that they will not must relearn how you can use their favourite apps and companies or lose them altogether each few years.
In any other case, folks will simply preserve going elsewhere. And that will be a disgrace — in spite of everything, there are some modern concepts and options in Google merchandise that you would be able to’t discover in opponents’.