Yahoo! Introduces A “New Mail” Experience: More Intuitive, Fewer Distractions And Built For Speed

December 11, 2012 at 09:05 AM EST

Today, Yahoo! introduced an update to its popular mail service, with its CEO Marissa Mayer taking the reigns of the Yahoo! Blog to discuss it. Brand new versions of Yahoo! Mail, one of its flagship products, is now available on all devices, and will be rolling out on the web soon. Coming from Google, Mayer knows the importance of having a solid Email product, a service that is probably the original social network and something that most people in the world use daily. This appears to be the first significant redesign for Yahoo Mail since 2010. Basically, you wake up and check email before anything else these days. Here’s what Mayer had to say: Email is the ultimate daily habit. It’s often the first thing we check in the morning and the last thing before going to bed. Why? Because it’s one of the simplest and most basic forms of communication. And since it’s such an important part of our daily lives, we’re making a few improvements to Yahoo! Mail. You’ve told us loud and clear that you want fewer distractions when it comes to email. You want to quickly login, communicate, and get on with your day. And we’ve listened. Starting today, the new Yahoo! Mail is fast, easy and available anywhere you go. These improvements will be available on all major platforms: Web, Windows 8, iPhone/iPod touch and Android. We’ve redesigned the new version of Yahoo! Mail with speed in mind — getting through your emails is faster than ever before. We’ve also made your inbox more intuitive and easier to navigate, allowing you to focus on what matters most: your messages. And, because mobile is everything these days, Yahoo! Mail now has a consistent look and feel across devices. Good start? As Yahoo! starts fresh, coming off as very partner-friendly, one must wonder what’s next for the company. It’s obvious that Mayer has come in and focused on the products that people use the most. Perhaps we’ll see an update to its homepage soon, or even the dropping of the !. I kid. Kind of. Listening to your users, as Mayer tells us that she does, is the right way to get out of the gates with her new company. You really can never go wrong by taking a step back, looking at what’s going on in the marketplace, and then fixing your own products accordingly. Yahoo!

"The World Interviews David Beckham on Yahoo!":

Coming from Google, Mayer knows the importance of having a solid Email product, a service that is probably the original social network and something that most people in the world use daily. This appears to be the first significant redesign for Yahoo Mail since 2010.

Basically, you wake up and check email before anything else these days.

Here’s what Mayer had to say:

Email is the ultimate daily habit. It’s often the first thing we check in the morning and the last thing before going to bed. Why? Because it’s one of the simplest and most basic forms of communication. And since it’s such an important part of our daily lives, we’re making a few improvements to Yahoo! Mail.

You’ve told us loud and clear that you want fewer distractions when it comes to email. You want to quickly login, communicate, and get on with your day. And we’ve listened. Starting today, the new Yahoo! Mail is fast, easy and available anywhere you go. These improvements will be available on all major platforms: Web, Windows 8, iPhone/iPod touch and Android.

We’ve redesigned the new version of Yahoo! Mail with speed in mind — getting through your emails is faster than ever before. We’ve also made your inbox more intuitive and easier to navigate, allowing you to focus on what matters most: your messages. And, because mobile is everything these days, Yahoo! Mail now has a consistent look and feel across devices.

Good start?

As Yahoo! starts fresh, coming off as very partner-friendly, one must wonder what’s next for the company. It’s obvious that Mayer has come in and focused on the products that people use the most. Perhaps we’ll see an update to its homepage soon, or even the dropping of the !. I kid. Kind of.

Listening to your users, as Mayer tells us that she does, is the right way to get out of the gates with her new company. You really can never go wrong by taking a step back, looking at what’s going on in the marketplace, and then fixing your own products accordingly. Yahoo! had to keep up in the email race. It’s not one that’s over by any stretch, no matter how popular Gmail is. We all know people who prefer Yahoo! Mail, and regardless of their demographic, Mayer and company would like to keep them.

[Photo credit: Flickr]