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If You Use Gmail: Do You Use Apple's MAIL or Gmail Offline? Why? Benefits? etc.?

HappyDude20

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,688
1,479
Los Angeles, Ca
I love having access to all my email messages, even when offline.

I've been a long time Gmail user and when they introduced it for offline use I got it immediately. I have the Gmail icon in my dock and haven't looked back since.

Recently i've been pensive thinking about using Apple's Mail (with my Gmail account of course) in lieu of the offline Gmail feature. However I enjoy "starring" my emails in gmail and putting them in labels...

See, I'm wondering if it'll be worth it to switch to Apple's Mail. I'm aware using IMAP or something that my email status will all be in sync whether i'm in Mail on my Mac, Gmail on a random PC, or Mail in an iPod Touch.

That and I'm thinking that a few GB's of emails would slow down Mail and my Mac, no?

That's why I specifically titled this thread for people that use Gmail and whether you guys use the offline Gmail feature opening up your web browser or Apple's Mail...and why you chose that route as opposed to the other?
 
Apple's Mail

Just the way I set it up originally and it works for me

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
I was in the same situation as you a while back. I switched my gmail account to IMAP from POP and never looked back. I have my IMAP Gmail setup in Apple Mail and it works great without any slowing. I can now get synchronized mail from my PC, MAC and iPod Touch!

The only way I think you could get your IMAP emails offline would just be to copy them to a folder in Apple Mail. That's what I do. Hopefully someone else could find you (and me) a better way to accomplish this. Good luck.
 
Apple a Day said:
I was in the same situation as you a while back. I switched my gmail account to IMAP from POP and never looked back. I have my IMAP Gmail setup in Apple Mail and it works great without any slowing. I can now get synchronized mail from my PC, MAC and iPod Touch!

The only way I think you could get your IMAP emails offline would just be to copy them to a folder in Apple Mail. That's what I do. Hopefully someone else could find you (and me) a better way to accomplish this. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I might just have to go with the route you mentioned, in getting all my mail with my on my Touch and offline with MAIL on my Mac.

I also just tested Gmail offline to see if I still had access to attachments in emails and it looks like I do. Though i'm sure MAIL on an iPod Touch has an advantage Gmail on the iPod Touch doesn't have, which is to download attachments......also attachments such as .numbers and .pages.

I use numbers and pages daily, being able to view and possibly edit them with me on my iPod Touch would be great too.

Side note, does Google Docs allow you to edit on the iPod Touch? Or is it just view?
 
haven't used mail...

Does mail sort emails like gmail does? With the replies being returned attached to the originals? I love that feature, and having it accessible from any location, of course.
Also, can I send an email via my applemail and have it show up to others with my gmail return address?

Thanks!
 
KarliRae said:
Does mail sort emails like gmail does? With the replies being returned attached to the originals? I love that feature, and having it accessible from any location, of course.
Also, can I send an email via my applemail and have it show up to others with my gmail return address?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

With IMAP there is a sent box and Inbox so it isn't like Gmail but when you send mail it does appear in Gmail. Just don't use POP3, IMAP works perfectly well and means that your Apple Mail and GMail web interface will be in sync. Your outgoing e-mail will have your gmail address as the return address.

The benefit of having your e-mail available to spotlight is worth losing some of the Gmail interface features although you can use both without any problems as long as you have IMAP set up.
 
with a mail client you just make folders to sort emails. use filters to put them in the folders. this keeps things clean. I wish I knew about imap years ago.
 
.....

GreatDrok said:
With IMAP there is a sent box and Inbox so it isn't like Gmail but when you send mail it does appear in Gmail.
Click to expand...

Sorry for still being confused, I'm a Mac newbie. So, the way I understand it is, if I use IMAP, open up mail on my mac, my inbox will be organized in chronological order, like hotmail or anything other, without grouping the conversation of email messages, like gmail does?

Karli-Rae
 
gmail is the only one I have seen that does not use folders. so when you get the mail app going you will have all the emails in the inbox. just create folders with the same name as your labels then move the emails into them. this is the way with mac or a pc.
 
KarliRae said:
Sorry for still being confused, I'm a Mac newbie. So, the way I understand it is, if I use IMAP, open up mail on my mac, my inbox will be organized in chronological order, like hotmail or anything other, without grouping the conversation of email messages, like gmail does?

Karli-Rae
Click to expand...

Looks that way. Gotta say, I love that Gmail implements grouping emails into threads like a convo. I also love that Gmail doesn't use folders like everyone else but uses labels and the like...

...iono, i'm waning towards Gmail still.

However:

The only thing that may force me to use Gmail inside of Apple's Mail is if when using the iPod Touch, I'm not allowed to access my emails offline or more importantly, email attachments.
 
I use the web version of Gmail because I simply love all of the lab features that google incorporates into gmail and if I decided to use to apple mail then I would be missing out on them.

ChrisN
 
ChrisN said:
I use the web version of Gmail because I simply love all of the lab features that google incorporates into gmail and if I decided to use to apple mail then I would be missing out on them.

ChrisN
Click to expand...

Great point. Many interesting features also rest when using Gmail online and offline on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
 
Stick with Gmail client for offline, its much more similar and has most of the same features/layout as the web version. Saves time adjusting. I see very little benefit in switching to Apple's mail, it has few benefits over the Gmail client if all you're accessing is IMAP Gmail.
 
To answer this question is simple...

Do you prefer to get off the couch and go to the fridge to get a beer, or do you prefer that your woman bring the beer to you?

By using GMail on the web, you have to launch a web browser, then navigate to GMail, then enter your user name and password to retrieve your email.

By using Apple Mail, or any other client, you just launch Mail and it brings your email to you.

I use multiple email accounts - MobileMe for friends and family, GMail for work, Yahoo for signing up for stuff online that requests my email address so my personal and work emails don't get spammed, and several other "rogue" accounts for various stuff. So, I prefer that Apple's Mail bring all my email to me, rather than to go to all the different email sites just to check and see if I have any email.

Looking back, I may get negative replies about my analogy with a woman bringing me a beer, so here is another one.

Would you rather go to your mailbox to check if you have mail, or would you rather have the mailman bring your mail directly to you when it is convenient?

Answer that question and you will know the answer to your question.
 
cmcbridejr said:
To answer this question is simple...

Do you prefer to get off the couch and go to the fridge to get a beer, or do you prefer that your woman bring the beer to you?

By using GMail on the web, you have to launch a web browser, then navigate to GMail, then enter your user name and password to retrieve your email.

By using Apple Mail, or any other client, you just launch Mail and it brings your email to you.
Click to expand...

Well, as you can see in the photo I use the Gmail icon, which when clicking opens up Firefox and goes into Gmail. Also no need to log in offline since it's all saved onto my computer somewhere. So, the ease of use is the same as Apple's Mail.

Hearing that Apple's Mail lacks Gmails unique features and lab settings I feel I may need to stick with Gmail. After testing out that I can even still download attachments in email messages located in Gmail, offline, is a huge plus.

I guess my concern was the syncing between Apple's Mail on my Mac and Apple's Mail on my future iPod Touch.

Yet it seems that Gmail and Gcal are both available offline not only on a Mac/PC, but also on iPhones and iPod Touch. I can even edit, compose and view email messages offline using Gmail.com on an iPod Touch, similar to opening up Firefox and going to Gmail on my Mac.

I feel the only thing now on my mind is if Gmail on an iPod Touch will still allow me to view attachments offline, as long as i've already downloaded them of course. Cause I know Apple's Mail on the iTouch can do this, but if Gmail offline could do this too on the iTouch, then Google's Gmail is my new Jesus.
 

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HappyDude20 said:
Well, as you can see in the photo I use the Gmail icon, which when clicking opens up Firefox and goes into Gmail. Also no need to log in offline since it's all saved onto my computer somewhere. So, the ease of use is the same as Apple's Mail.
Click to expand...

So, you have two applications in your dock to perform one function?
 
There really is no replacing the one-line-thread mail messages in gmail. As much as I love apple and their UI, gmail has them beat here!
 
I use Mail but set Gmail's IMAP settings to only show two folders. Very clean and search does everything I want.
 

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I personally use apple mail, but you really can't decide until you try both for yourself. Set up apple mail with your gmail account and give it a try! It you don't like it, you can delete it with no effect on your gmail account.

If you still can't decide, ask yourself this...

Which icon do you think looks better in your dock?:D
 
As an alternative to Apple's Mail.app, I recommend giving Postbox a try. I like that it groups messages together, kind of like Gmail in the browser. It's no Gmail, and it's only in beta, but I like it better than Mail.app.
 
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