Google may have purchased Sparrow, but it doesn’t seem like the company plans on completely adopting its design. While it is certainly Sparrow-like, the new iOS app interface that has adorned the iOS version of the app for a couple of months is now the default mobile design for both the mobile and offline versions of Gmail. If it’s a web app, and it does email, and it’s from Google, it’s going to have the iOS Gmail layout moving forward.
In a post on its Google+ page, the Gmail team made the announcement:
Since launching the rebooted Gmail app for iPhone and iPad in December, we’ve heard from many of you that you like the redesigned UI, along with new features such as improved search and integration with Google Calendar. Today we’re rolling out a similar refreshed look to the Gmail mobile web app as well as Gmail Offline that includes many of these same changes. Try it out at gmail.com in the browser of your Android, iOS, Blackberry or Kindle Fire device. #MobileMonday
We mentioned Sparrow off the top, and the design influences are pretty obvious. It’ll be interesting to see just exactly how far the Sparrow team can push the Gmail team to flop this whole mobile app on its head. With about a billion companies looking to release new mail applications for Gmail in the coming months, Google’s going to have to be on top of its game to stay relevant with the geek crowd.
