Any New Google Account Comes Bundled with a Gmail Address and a Google+ Profile

Google has introduced a new account creation page. Hard to believe for some, but, yes, there are still people who don't have a Google account. Until recently, all you needed was an email address, any valid one would do, and a password.

That is no longer the case, new users now have a Gmail account automatically created for them. What's more, they also get a Google+ profile.

Anyone that wants to create a new Google account, for any reason, will have a Gmail address and a Google+ profile created for them as well.

"Your Google Account is more than just Search, the page reads. "Talk, chat, share, schedule, store, organize, collaborate, discover and create. Use Google products from Gmail to Google+ to YouTube, view your search history, all with one username and password, all backed up all the time and easy to find at (you guessed it) Google.com," it adds.

Note that the new account page you see depends on where you come from. For example, if you try to sign up from Gmail or Google Search you will see the new page, which comes with Gmail and Google+ bundled.

However, if you sign up via YouTube, Google Docs and other sites, you will get the option to choose your email provider. The old sign up page, for which you don't need a Gmail address, is also available. That may be a temporary thing, or it may be a conscious decision.

Still, the move is a bit troubling for a couple of reasons. For one, it forces people to create a Gmail account, yet another email account, even if they're never going to use it.

This move may explain the sudden growth in Gmail users, 350 million at the last count, almost as many as market leader Hotmail.

But it also forces people to create a Google+ profiles, profiles which come with an interesting requirement, real names. Google has said that it is working on allowing people to use pseudonyms, but it still asks for your real name in Google+ as well as when creating a new Google account. Of course, bundling Google+ profiles with a Google account may be part of the reason behind the 90 million registered users Google is reporting.