iCloud email vs Gmail?

Evoken said:

Fari enough, different strokes for different folks, the Google ecosystem is not necessarily the best for everyone and people with different needs/uses may find another solution more satisfying.

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Yeah absolutely right, and as I already wrote I would recommend to use the best of both worlds - at least if you want to keep private and business things or even personal and auto. generated email stuff like newsletters, updates, and other information separated.

I personally love Apple's UI and designs because of their eye and passion for details and simplicity. Google's E-Mail Service is very powerful and more functional than Apple's but not that fancy and simple.
Use whatever you like most. I personally prefer to use both:
- Gmail with all its filters and options for auto. generated stuff like newsletters, updates,... (you can also use it for a filter for Apple's Mail service "iCloud).
- iCloud just for personal stuff like private mail conversations with friends.

I have always used Gmail for the past few years and have been amazed with the simplicity of the service and it's options. However, it has become slow over the past few years. Not badly slow, but not quick either. I have always had some sort of issue as well with using Gmail with MS Exchange on the iPhone. The ugly label/folder tree hierarchy and especially the fact if I don't use some sort of formatting in an email, Gmail/iPhone will limit the characters per line and make it look a mess when sent.

I just recently fired up my old hotmail account, converted it over to the new outlook.com format, renamed my account, and hooked it up using activesync to my iPhone. It's amazing so far. Syncs in less than a second where Gmail took 3-5, does not reformat emails, and I like the clean folder hierarchy of non Gmail accounts. I have a PC & an iMac. If only it supported IMAP it would be near perfect. There are some other issues, especially with contact birthdays not syncing across devices accurately, but it's great for being only a preview product.

Rigby said:

BTW, Microsoft just announced a revamped version of Hotmail, now called Outlook.com:

Unfortunately it does not support IMAP (yet?). No problem for iOS devices since it naturally supports Exchange Activesync, but to my knowledge there are currently no desktop clients that support Activesync. So you're pretty much limited to the web interface on OS X or Windows computers.

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@jazoi: Why is iCloud no option for you?

- iCloud has a simple folder hierarchy,
- it syncs perfectly on your iPhone, Mac and also on your PC (http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/pc.html)
- it shows all of your events like birthdays, meetings, appointments etc. in your calendar app,
- and it looks great - with no ads - at least, in my opinion

I can't stand the fact that the read status doesn't sync across my Mac, iPhone, and iPad. If they made that work I'd be sold.

David Menzel said:

@jazoi: Why is iCloud no option for you?

- iCloud has a simple folder hierarchy,
- it syncs perfectly on your iPhone, Mac and also on your PC (http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/pc.html)
- it shows all of your events like birthdays, meetings, appointments etc. in your calendar app,
- and it looks great - with no ads - at least, in my opinion

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jazoi said:

I can't stand the fact that the read status doesn't sync across my Mac, iPhone, and iPad. If they made that work I'd be sold.

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When was the last that you checked that? It works well for me.

I wouldn't consider Apple email because of the constant name changing. @mac.com, then @me.com, then @icloud.com (I assume?). In a couple of years they'll change it to something like @iMail.com, then to something else then, like iWeb and iWork.com, they'll suddenly drop it altogether leaving you with nothing.

tekno said:

I wouldn't consider Apple email because of the constant name changing. @mac.com, then @me.com, then @icloud.com (I assume?). In a couple of years they'll change it to something like @iMail.com, then to something else then, like iWeb and iWork.com, they'll suddenly drop it altogether leaving you with nothing.

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Could be but that should be no issue for users because even former @mac.com customers users can still use their email-addresses

Just yesterday. Are you telling me that if you read an email on your iPad or Mac using iCloud Mail the mail indicator on say your iPhone disappears? Mine only does when I go into mail and then it updates.

D.C.M. said:

When was the last that you checked that? It works well for me.

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jazoi said:

Just yesterday. Are you telling me that if you read an email on your iPad or Mac using iCloud Mail the mail indicator on say your iPhone disappears? Mine only does when I go into mail and then it updates.

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Yes, I thought that it works that way, but as I tested a few minutes ago it didn't worked well. Also tried it with Gmails native app and came to the different disappointing result.

Not a big fan of Google as a company or Gmail. Made the switch to iCloud e-mail without incident, and I’ve been very pleased with the results.

I made the switch from gmail to iCloud back in late May for the ease of use and the multiple aliases. Mostly for the ease of use.

How icloud email handles spam ? I would like to switch to icloud too, gmail handles spam very well.

etsi said:

How icloud email handles spam ? I would like to switch to icloud too, gmail handles spam very well.

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I switched and have not seen an increase in spam. If you look around you will see that other MR users have had a different experience.

jazoi said:

I just recently fired up my old hotmail account, converted it over to the new outlook.com format, renamed my account, and hooked it up using activesync to my iPhone. It's amazing so far. Syncs in less than a second where Gmail took 3-5, does not reformat emails, and I like the clean folder hierarchy of non Gmail accounts. I have a PC & an iMac. If only it supported IMAP it would be near perfect. There are some other issues, especially with contact birthdays not syncing across devices accurately, but it's great for being only a preview product.

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I'm test-driving Outlook.com myself (converted my @live.com account over to @outlook.com) and am pleasantly surprised. The functionality is impressive for what is basically a preview, and it is SO much easier to use / read than Gmail has become. I will still maintain my @me.com account as my primary personal email account, but the @outlook.com account may replace Google as my secondary email address.

Frankly, I'm ready to pull the plug on Google entirely. I don't use G+, I won't use Gmail anymore, and I never really used their calendar or cloud services like I do with iCloud (always seemed kind of messy). I think iCloud and/or Skydrive may become my new providers of choice, moving forward.

I verify my Icould account

Prototypical said:

I'm test-driving Outlook.com myself (converted my @live.com account over to @outlook.com) and am pleasantly surprised. The functionality is impressive for what is basically a preview, and it is SO much easier to use / read than Gmail has become. I will still maintain my @me.com account as my primary personal email account, but the @outlook.com account may replace Google as my secondary email address.

Frankly, I'm ready to pull the plug on Google entirely. I don't use G+, I won't use Gmail anymore, and I never really used their calendar or cloud services like I do with iCloud (always seemed kind of messy). I think iCloud and/or Skydrive may become my new providers of choice, moving forward.

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When Hotmail (Outlook) and OS X start playing nice together and we get folder support instead of having to use POP, I might just move all my business there. 25 gigs free cloud storage that's not bound to specific apps, calendar and mail. Those are the three things I want, need and use.

Why Apple removed proper cloud storage is beyond me, in my opinion they messed up there...

Still debating on leaving gmail for iCloud or outlook.com

GIZBUG said:

Still debating on leaving gmail for iCloud or outlook.com

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Gmail has the best overall solution (syncing address book and calendar, IMAP support across the board and 5 GB of free online storage).

Outlook.com has a larger online storage, but if you're running OS X and don't want to use the web UI for e-mailing - there is no folder support, and I don't think it's possible to integrate the Outlook.com calendar with Calendar in OS X and iOS.

iCloud has the better UI in my opinion, syncing is ridiculously easy, but the online storage is a joke.

If iCloud would get proper online storage or syncing calendar, notes, address book with Outlook.com - that would be the clear winner. Right now, in my eyes, it's all about preferences.

I recently moved away from google calendar an use iCloud now. Really see no huge difference. As for gmail, appreciate your view

GIZBUG said:

Still debating on leaving gmail for iCloud or outlook.com

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I technically use both. I have had my old gmail account forward everything to my .me address. I load ONLY my .me address on my Apple devices. I get all my mail. When I need to sign up for something I use my gmail address his way my personal .me address is not out in the wild open to spam. Been doing this for a year now, works pretty well.

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hafr said:

Gmail has the best overall solution (syncing address book and calendar, IMAP support across the board and 5 GB of free online storage).

Outlook.com has a larger online storage, but if you're running OS X and don't want to use the web UI for e-mailing - there is no folder support, and I don't think it's possible to integrate the Outlook.com calendar with Calendar in OS X and iOS.

iCloud has the better UI in my opinion, syncing is ridiculously easy, but the online storage is a joke.

If iCloud would get proper online storage or syncing calendar, notes, address book with Outlook.com - that would be the clear winner. Right now, in my eyes, it's all about preferences.

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Does Apple still offer the iCloud control panel for windows? I believe it allows syncing calendar etc with outlook.

D.C.M. said:

Could be but that should be no issue for users because even former @mac.com customers users can still use their email-addresses

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Very true. Still using my .mac address from 2000. It's been 12 years (an eternity for online services) and it works fine. .me is awful. And I might use icloud.com this fall...we'll see.

I wouldn't make the switch either. I had the option for both at work and iCloud email is a pain the ass compared to Gmail. Although Gmail does read all my messages and post spam... still don't like iCloud any better.

I use iCloud for everything except email. With iCloud mail on occasion I would experience downtimes and delayed receipt of messages (things I haven't experienced with Gmail). Also, I don't really want to have to give all my contacts a new me.com address. I know I can get around that, but there's no point if the service isn't as reliable.

I can only speak from first hand experience. Sadly iCloud is still a mess. After two years with MobileMe, I had hoped Apple would show us a better service.

Unfortunately, there's something missing in Apple's DNA, they just don't get it. When it comes to cloud services Apples in the dark. If they haven't been able to do any better by now, the chances are slim that one day they'll wake up and understand.

Whether it be Gmail, Google Drive, Sky Drive or Azure, everyone's doing it better than Apple.

As a hard core Apple enthusiast, that's a bitter pill.

Yet that said, I'm enjoying an excellent experience with all that Google & MS have to offer in cloud services.