Google acquires Apple-oriented email client Sparrow ahead of iPad app release

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 95
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,855member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    TS, it looks like it's fairly common for Apple to simply roll an acquisition into an existing product rather than always turning them into applications.


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Apple



     


    Talk about splitting hairs.

  • Reply 22 of 95


    The logo kind of reminds me of the star trek insignia.  Or a kite.

  • Reply 23 of 95


    I wasn't sure if Sparrow was ever going to support POP3 but I had been waiting for it since I think Mail.app on iOS is a bit plain. Mail works ok I suppose, but it isn't interesting to use. Sparrow looked like it had a great feature set and a shinier coat of paint...if only it supported POP3. I guess that's irrelevant now. Hopefully they do something with these people and not just chew them up and spit them out. 


     


    Update: Apparently it now supports POP3...it never used to...but they state the app is only going to get minor maintenance and bug fixes. It'll never advance past that. Not sure if I want to part with my 2.99 or just deal with Mail. 

  • Reply 24 of 95
    blah64blah64 Posts: 993member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by esaruoho View Post


    so.. first they buy Meebo and kill it.. now Sparrow? are they here to make internet useful or useless?


    Meebo was shut down 11th July and G+ still offer me no solution for my MSN/AIM/Yahoo/ICQ/Gtalk/Facebookchat/Myspace chat needs. meebo had it in one place, i could connect with my 3GS and browser, from multiple machines, and not a message was lost. Since Meebo got bought up by Google+, and Meebo was shut down by G+/Google 9 days ago, they still have not offered anything to replace it with. i really don't understand why they have to act this way. I wish iMessage / Messages gave me MSN/AIM/Y!/ICQ/Gchat/FBchat/Myspace/Messages, so i could just use that instead, and trust it to work. if google ever unveil anything like Meebo, i don't think i'll really feel good about using it. if they were serious about providing Meebo-like services, they would have had one running start 10th - 11th July, instead nothing - just another buy&Kill. will Sparrow be another Buy&Kill?



     


    So what do people use these days to consolidate their messages on various services?

  • Reply 25 of 95
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    esaruoho wrote: »
    so.. first they buy Meebo and kill it.. now Sparrow? are they here to make internet useful or useless?
    Meebo was shut down 11th July and G+ still offer me no solution for my MSN/AIM/Yahoo/ICQ/Gtalk/Facebookchat/Myspace chat needs. meebo had it in one place, i could connect with my 3GS and browser, from multiple machines, and not a message was lost. Since Meebo got bought up by Google+, and Meebo was shut down by G+/Google 9 days ago, they still have not offered anything to replace it with. i really don't understand why they have to act this way. I wish iMessage / Messages gave me MSN/AIM/Y!/ICQ/Gchat/FBchat/Myspace/Messages, so i could just use that instead, and trust it to work. if google ever unveil anything like Meebo, i don't think i'll really feel good about using it. if they were serious about providing Meebo-like services, they would have had one running start 10th - 11th July, instead nothing - just another buy&Kill. will Sparrow be another Buy&Kill?

    Google couldn't care less about the success of Sparrow. If killing Sparrow means more money in Google's pocket (i.e., more of your personal information to sell), they'll kill it. If keeping it is the way to increase Google's ad revenues, they'll do that. The app itself is of no interest - which is why most Google products are crap (with Google Maps and Google search being the exceptions).
  • Reply 26 of 95
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member


    The interesting piece of this, google can tell which platforms and application are access its servers so they probably saw the increase usage of this program hitting gmail and peeked their interest. If people were really migrating away from mail to this program Google was probably to see that and take it. Because Google rather access your mail via their website verse down loading to your email tool.

  • Reply 27 of 95
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Blah64 View Post

    So what do people use these days to consolidate their messages on various services?


     


    Messages (10.8). I just use iMessage and a few legacy contacts on AIM, but it can do any service save for Skype.

  • Reply 28 of 95
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,153member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post... which is why most Google products are crap (with Google Maps and Google search being the exceptions).


    ...and Google Voice actions (Some refer to it as Google Now but that's a different feature). Very impressive performance in Android 4.1.1 in the little bit of time I got to use it. Shockingly accurate and fast!

  • Reply 29 of 95
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    A dark day, indeed.



     


    Yeah, I've been waiting for the iPad client to try it.  Not gonna happen now. 


     


    The only positive I can see is that the competition might push Apple to actually make a reasonably good email client for the iPad for once.  In retrospect Sparrow and Gmail were probably meant for each other with all that heavy use of the tacky "stars" and so on.  

  • Reply 30 of 95
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by carmelapple View Post


    I wasn't sure if Sparrow was ever going to support POP3 but I had been waiting for it since I think Mail.app on iOS is a bit plain. Mail works ok I suppose, but it isn't interesting to use. Sparrow looked like it had a great feature set and a shinier coat of paint...if only it supported POP3. I guess that's irrelevant now. Hopefully they do something with these people and not just chew them up and spit them out. 


     


    Update: Apparently it now supports POP3...it never used to...but they state the app is only going to get minor maintenance and bug fixes. It'll never advance past that. Not sure if I want to part with my 2.99 or just deal with Mail. 



     


    Your real problem is POP3.  No one should be using POP for anything. 

  • Reply 31 of 95
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    TS, it looks like it's fairly common for Apple to simply roll an acquisition into an existing product rather than always turning them into applications.


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Apple



    As opposed to buying something just to kill it. They probably want some of their technology or talent. No different then what Apple does. I doubt it will get turned into a standalone product since Google already has a mail program.


     


    Although it is entirely possible that they just bought it because they thought Microsoft or Apple might buy it if they didn't.

  • Reply 32 of 95
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


     


    Your real problem is POP3.  No one should be using POP for anything. 



    If you don't own your own mail server and prefer to download and archive your messages or read mail while off line, POP3 would be useful for that.

  • Reply 33 of 95
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,153member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    As opposed to buying something just to kill it. They probably want some of their technology or talent. No different then what Apple does. I doubt it will get turned into a standalone product since Google already has a mail program.


     


    Although it is entirely possible that they just bought it because they thought Microsoft or Apple might buy it if they didn't.



    Agreed.

  • Reply 34 of 95
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ifail View Post


     


     


    Thats what happens when great talent is recognized by others, Steve Jobs & Co could have easily snatched Bungie up back in the day but chose not to, until it was too late and Microsoft bought them. 


     


    Not like it matters, Halo is still one of the best titles to ever exist in the FPS genre. 



     


    This is pure historical revisionism.  


     


    The fact is, Microsoft bought Bungie before Apple did.  


    All that other stuff where you ascribe personal motives to Steve Jobs and "get inside his head" to tell us what he was thinking ... is just made up.  

  • Reply 35 of 95
    4phun4phun Posts: 51member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justincylander View Post


    Just purchased the OS X app and iOS app in the last couple of months, loved it, but was hoping for a future addition/integration with iCal. I guess I'll have to go back to Mail.app and wasted $12 or whatever...



     


    I debated Sparrow, but decided I fully understood how to use the Apple Mail app including RSS, Smart Rules etc. so I never bought it.


     


    I am glad now as I refuse to buy or recommend anything controlled by Google or Samsung out of principle.

  • Reply 36 of 95
    macrulezmacrulez Posts: 2,455member


    deleted

  • Reply 37 of 95
    mrstepmrstep Posts: 511member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by alansky View Post


    Unfortunately for the Sparrow developers, they wouldn't be the first company to discover that pursuing a "bigger vision" can be a one-way ticket to oblivion.



     


    Or one-way ticket to financial security for the developers. If the price was right, it's hard to fault them for taking an offer, and the odds of Apple buying them when they already have Mail.app aren't all that high. Sad to see though.

  • Reply 38 of 95
    bighypebighype Posts: 148member


    F*ck Google. They just killed my favorite email client :(

  • Reply 39 of 95
    4phun4phun Posts: 51member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    The shitification of Sparrow. 


     


    I don't really care, though. All I used it for was as a Gmail client on the Mac, since integrating a Gmail account into Mail.app is a mess I'd rather not have to clean up. Gmail works quite nicely with the iOS Mail app, in my opinion, so no problem there. 


     


    I guess I'll continue to use it as a Gmail-only Mac app, provided it remains an actual application. 



     


    Son, I suspect you need to learn how to use SmartMail Boxes and other rules.


     


    I process fifteen Gmail accounts plus a few other types in Mac Mail with no problem. I also view the exact same accounts on the iPad. Synchronization  seems to lag only by a minute or two at maximum., sometimes much faster.


     


    My goal is to eventually drop all Gmail accounts but the whole arrangement is too complex to just do it overnight.

  • Reply 40 of 95
    irnchrizirnchriz Posts: 1,616member


    Waste of money, sparrow was shite unless you used gmail anyways.

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