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Gmail users input requested . . any reason to use "mail" program on Mac?

C

curtisinoc

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 13, 2011
258
0
Southern California
Soon to be 1st time Mac owner here with a Gmail vs Mac Mail, Calendar question . .

I use Gmail and love it. I also use Gmail for all of my "contacts" and use Gmail Calendar. I sync all of this with my iPhone. When I get my new iMac, I know that several programs such as "mail, iCal, etc..." comes pre-installed on the iMac.

Should I use these mac programs (mail, ical etc .. ) or just stick with Gmail?? Will the iMac's "mail, calendar" programs play nice with my Gmail account (syncing inbox/deleted/starred/read etc . . . ) or will it just cause me duplicate work?


Looking for advice from Gmail users.

thanks
 
Last edited:
I use Mac Mail. I have three Gmail addresses, and one Hotmail. I would add Yahoo in there as well, but Yahoo doesn't like to play well with others it seems.

As for the starred stuff, I don't know because I don't use those features.
 
I use gmail

I like the gmail UI so I use the web site for that. I also have 2 aol accounts but I use the mail client for those. It's not that I dislike the mail client, I actually think it is VERY good, I just like the gmail UI a lot and it is usually easier to go directly to gmail since I am on safari a lot.

I could really use either or and wold be very happy.

I do sometimes use the mail client when I am checking my aol mail I will also check gmail. If I am not checking aol mail then I am using gmail directly. Either way I don't think you would be dissapointed with the mail client.
 
curtisinoc said:
Soon to be 1st time Mac owner here with a Gmail vs Mac Mail, Calendar question . .

I use Gmail and love it. I also use Gmail for all of my "contacts" and use Gmail Calendar. I sync all of this with my iPhone. When I get my new iMac, I know that several programs such as "mail, iCal, etc..." comes pre-installed on the iMac.

Should I use these mac programs (mail, ical etc .. ) or just stick with Gmail?? Will the iMac's "mail, calendar" programs play nice with my Gmail account (syncing inbox/deleted/starred/read etc . . . ) or will it just cause me duplicate work?


Looking for advice from Gmail users.

thanks
Click to expand...

I have 4 different gmail accounts routed to my Mail client, along with my school webmail account. All play very nicely. I too love the gmail UI, however I needed all my accounts in one place, and instead of linking them to one gmail account which has caused me some confusion, Mail has helped there. I love that Mail and iCal are linked, as well as my Address Book. Google apps will be good together as well, but I have been very happy with Mail with the drag and drop attachment and embedding of photos.

Using Mail and IMAP for all of my email addresses keeps everything up to date and accessible. You won't go wrong with either, but if you need one place to keep all your accounts straight, then Mail is a nice solution. (In fact, I am dreading having to go to Outlook for work purposes when I start my job next month).

I use ical because it is accessible on my desktop just easy to use. Google calendar is the same way and it is nice that it is accessible on idevices. There is the possibility of syncing your google calendar with ical.

With CalDAV support in Google Calendar, you'll be able to view and edit your Google Calendar events directly in other calendar applications, such as Apple iCal or Mozilla Sunbird. Any changes you make in other calendar applications will automatically appear in Google Calendar the next time you sign in (and vice versa). If you use other calendar applications while offline, changes you make will be saved and updated in Google Calendar when you get back online.
Click to expand...


There are a lot of possibilities there, but it sounds like you are invested in Google applications. I have to say - I was too but have since transferred completely over to Mail and iCal and Address Book and never looked back. Only check my gmail when I am AFK.
 
Thanks for the input . . .

If I was to set up the Mac's mail app with my Gmail account and lets say I don't open/use the mail app for a week - but I have used Gmail/web for all of my email needs. When I do open the mail app, will a week's worth of mail show up on my Mac's mail program? Will all of my previously "read mail" show up as "new/unread mail" on the Mac's mail program? Or will previously "read" email sync as "read"?

(This is what happened with Outlook on my PC and the reason I stopped using Outlook completely).
 
curtisinoc said:
Thanks for the input . . .

If I was to set up the Mac's mail app with my Gmail account and lets say I don't open/use the mail app for a week - but I have used Gmail/web for all of my email needs. When I do open the mail app, will a week's worth of mail show up on my Mac's mail program? Will all of my previously "read mail" show up as "new/unread mail" on the Mac's mail program? Or will previously "read" email sync as "read"?

(This is what happened with Outlook on my PC and the reason I stopped using Outlook completely).
Click to expand...

If you opened them in gmail they will show up as "read" in Mail.

It will do the opposite as well... if you read your mail in Mail, it will show up as "read" in gmail.

Also if it is important to you, when I read my mail on my blackberry, it shows up read in Mail and gmail.
 
peapody said:
. . . . There are a lot of possibilities there, but it sounds like you are invested in Google applications. . . .
Click to expand...

Peapody . . you're absolutely right !! I am pretty heavily invested with Google (Gmail for mail, hundreds of contacts; Google Calendar etc . . . ). Kinda hesitant on changing but then again, looking forward to using my Imac (in a month when I get it) and all of it's "cool" programs . . what to do, what to do? :(
 
curtisinoc said:
If this is the case, I guess it couldn't hurt to import all my gmail stuff (contacts, calendar etc) and give it a try.

Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

You can have it sync those - contacts are handy especially if you use mobile devices. It's not a one-time import then it's stagnant - it's realtime calendar and near-realtime contacts :)
 
blevins321 said:
You can have it sync those - contacts are handy especially if you use mobile devices. It's not a one-time import then it's stagnant - it's realtime calendar and near-realtime contacts :)
Click to expand...

You're saying that if in gmail, I add a contact or make a change to a contact (add a birthday for example), that change would automatically update in mac's contact app? Or a change within gmail calendar would update in iCal?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
curtisinoc said:
You're saying that if in gmail, I add a contact or make a change to a contact (add a birthday for example), that change would automatically update in mac's contact app? Or a change within gmail calendar would update in iCal?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yep, exactly :). Calendar syncs when opening the program, and every few minutes. Address book downloads server-side changes hourly, or triggers an update to the server when a change is made locally.
 
blevins321 said:
Yep, exactly :). Calendar syncs when opening the program, and every few minutes. Address book downloads server-side changes hourly, or triggers an update to the server when a change is made locally.
Click to expand...

Sweet! Didn't know that! I'm used to the "one time sync" on my pc to MS Outlook. That became a PITA and the primary reason I switched everything to google products. I'll definitely give the default mac apps a try.

Edit: also, does the sync work in reverse as well? (will a change I make within mac's contact app update my gmail contact automagically)

Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Edit: also, does the sync work in reverse as well? (will a change I make within mac's contact app update my gmail contact automagically)
[/QUOTE]
Yep- completely bidirectional. Something unrelated to native apps that you might find handy- the Facebook app for iOS has a feature where it can sync contact photos and birthdays. Let's you have a photo for the matched contacts that are Facebook friends. It'll also add a calendar event for their birthdays.
 
peapody said:
If you opened them in gmail they will show up as "read" in Mail.

It will do the opposite as well... if you read your mail in Mail, it will show up as "read" in gmail.

Also if it is important to you, when I read my mail on my blackberry, it shows up read in Mail and gmail.
Click to expand...
IF you set gmail up as IMAP and not PoP
 
dukebound85 said:
IF you set gmail up as IMAP and not PoP
Click to expand...

This kind of stuff is where I get a bit confused . . :( (not entirely sure of differences between the 2 protocols . . as you can tell, I'm not too computer savvy)

I need to set up Gmail as IMAP on the Mac programs (mail, ical, contacts etc...)? ? Will I be given a choice of IMAP or POP setup when I set up Gmail with those programs?

Currently, I have my iPhone's Gmail account set up thru "exchange" and this syncs "read/unread/starred etc....." mail with my Gmail account. Is this considered IMAP?
 
curtisinoc said:
I need to set up Gmail as IMAP on the Mac programs (mail, ical, contacts etc...)? ? Will I be given a choice of IMAP or POP setup when I set up Gmail with those programs?
Click to expand...

Yes, but if I remember correctly it'll recognize your account as a Gmail account and then auto-select some of the right options.

Exchange is like IMAP, but different (since, for example, you get push email with Gmail on the iPhone setup as an Exchange account, but not when setup as an IMAP account).

Anyway, Google has some really clear setup pages for these applications (with some extra advice concerning optional settings), and they're really easy to find.
 
telecomm said:
Yes, but if I remember correctly it'll recognize your account as a Gmail account and then auto-select some of the right options.

Exchange is like IMAP, but different (since, for example, you get push email with Gmail on the iPhone setup as an Exchange account, but not when setup as an IMAP account).

Anyway, Google has some really clear setup pages for these applications (with some extra advice concerning optional settings), and they're really easy to find.
Click to expand...

Great, thanks!

So, to be clear: when I set up my Mac, set up everything gmail as IMAP correct? ( if given the option )


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
curtisinoc said:
So, to be clear: when I set up my Mac, set up everything gmail as IMAP correct? ( if given the option )
Click to expand...

Yes, that's how I've got mine set up. I don't use Gmail contacts, but I've got iCal syncing with Google Calendars too, and that gets setup separately through iCal.
 
telecomm said:
Yes, that's how I've got mine set up. I don't use Gmail contacts, but I've got iCal syncing with Google Calendars too, and that gets setup separately through iCal.
Click to expand...


I think I'll try that setup as you suggested.

One more question if you don't mind . . Will this IMAP setup on Mac apps have any effect on the way my iPhone currently syncs (exchange/push)? Do I need to change anything on my iPhone setup after the Mac setup?

Thanks for your help
 
curtisinoc said:
Will this IMAP setup on Mac apps have any effect on the way my iPhone currently syncs (exchange/push)? Do I need to change anything on my iPhone setup after the Mac setup?
Click to expand...

No, iPhone and Mac settings are totally independent. There's an option to setup an Exchange account through Mail as well, but I had already set mine up using IMAP, and I didn't really see any need to change to Exchange. IMAP is what Google suggests using on their Gmail setup pages.
 
I just made the switch from the Gmail Web UI to Mail.app.

The reason? I hated being tied to a browser window.

I have 4 gmail accounts, and have each one setup as an IMAP account on my MBP, my iPhone, and my iPad.

I use Apple's Address Book and MobileMe to sync contacts. I use Google Calendar, but through the iCal client. I use iChat for Google Chat. Chats are stored online, because I see no reason to sync them.

It all works seamlessly, and I am really happy with the final product.
 
telecomm said:
No, iPhone and Mac settings are totally independent. There's an option to setup an Exchange account through Mail as well, but I had already set mine up using IMAP, and I didn't really see any need to change to Exchange. IMAP is what Google suggests using on their Gmail setup pages.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your help and the link. Looks like the first time setup is automatically configured as IMAP and pretty straightforward.

I appreciate everyone's help/advice/input. This is a really helpful forum.
 
I really like Mailplane. Keeps my email separate from the browser, and also allows you to quickly switch between multiple Gmail accounts. It also has a sidebar with a count of new mail for each account.

Sparrow is the new kid in town, but I haven't tried it out much yet. Reviews still seem to favor Mailplane for an overall better Gmail experience, but Sparrow may have some features that make it a better choice than Mailplane.

I used Mail.app with Gmail for a year, but ultimately didn't like it. They do a better job of grouping threaded emails now, but I really utilize the Labeling system, as well as other Gmail features that cannot be integrated into the Mail.app.

I wish there was a better GMail app for the iPhone, though the Mail app on the iPhone works better with Gmail than on OS X.
 
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