14 DAY TRIAL // One of Gmail’s killer features is the ‘conversations’ view that groups together email chains to make it easier to follow the discussion. This made the inbox much easier to manage. Some people, though, have never adjusted to this model and have been asking Google for a ‘normal’ email view that would list all emails separately. It now seems that those users are finally being heard, if a rumor from Silicon Valley Insider is to be believed.
According to the report, the top heads over at Gmail are now willing to listen to the complaints and are working on addressing the issue with a new, optional standard view for the inbox. There aren’t that many other details, though they don’t really have to be. Plenty of webmail services still only offer the simple system that lists the emails chronologically, including Gmail’s major competitors. If Gmail implements this view, it should work just like anyone else’s implementation. Ironically, Microsoft's Windows Live Hotmail will introduce a conversation grouping feature later this year.
If the rumor turns out to be accurate, Google has finally conceded to the few but vocal critics asking for a choice on the matter. Of course, most people, including Google obviously, believe the ‘conversation’ model to be the better choice. And probably the biggest reason why Google hasn’t given users a choice is that it feared that many, having been accustomed to the old system, would not give Gmail’s system a shot.
This is a common problem for web services, users are reluctant to change their ways and meet any addition with resistance. Given the possibility to opt out of a new feature, most users would choose the option they’re comfortable with. Even the subtlest change on Facebook has its fair share of critics, without exception. If the social network were to stop adding new features for fear of upsetting its users, nothing would ever move forward. We’ll see in the coming months if the rumor has any substance to it.