Gmail out of Beta
Took them long enough. Five years to be precise. I thought that Gmail would come out of beta once it became open to the public and not invite only, but then after a few years I just stopped caring when it would actually come out of beta.
Actually it’s more like several Google Apps are out of beta, including Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and Talk. This may come as exciting news to some, but most people probably didn’t even notice. For those who noticed, you probably don’t care since it doesn’t really change much. While personal users have been enjoying Gmail for years (I’ve personally been using it since the invite only days back in 2004) there may have been some corporate people who have been wary to adopt it because of the beta label. With Gmail finally out of beta that might allow some companies to make the shift to Gmail.
Gmail realizes that some people might not be comfortable with the switch and offers the option to get the beta back in the logo:
However, we realize that after five years, this leaves some of you wrestling with some tough questions. How will you ever get used to using Gmail without that familiar grey “BETA” text greeting you when you log in everyday? What example will you cite the next time you make an internet joke about perpetual betas? Don’t despair… for those of you long-time Gmail-ers who might feel some separation anxiety, we’ve got a solution. Just go to Settings, click on Labs, turn on “Back to Beta,” and it’ll be like Gmail never left beta at all.
