Yahoo! Announces Streamlined Makeover For Its Email Across Web & Mobile Platforms

Sometimes change is one of those things that make people grumpy — especially when it comes to familiar technological platforms. Call it the fear of the unfamiliar or call it knowing what you like and how you like it, but even if Yahoo! email customers aren’t ready for a change, the company’s about to bring it to’em with a new look for its email service on both the Web and various mobile platforms.

It’s kind of a big deal to change up the email experience, since most of us check our email at least once a day, if not a bajillion times more. But Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer says in a new company blog post that it was time to streamline things. Don’t worry though, everything still looks very… purple.

She writes:

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.

The changes will begin rolling out over the next few days, mostly with the web version of Yahoo! Mail at first, followed by new versions of the app on mobile devices.

In truth, changing up an email service isn’t too huge of a risk for a company like Yahoo!. It’s already in a losing popularity battle with Gmail, which seems to prevail among the free services. To that end, anyone with an active Yahoo! account isn’t likely to go through the hassle of switching email services just over a few design tweaks. And vice versa — it’s not likely that anyone devoted to Gmail is going to make a switch to Yahoo! just because it had a makeover.

For the most part, we stick with our email addresses because it’s just easier that way. Or until our friends wear us down enough to finally give up the archaic Hotmail account and join the 21st century.

Anyone dedicated to their Yahoo! email account who experiences problems or have any insight into the new experience, feel free to sound off to us via tips@consumerist.com.

Introducing the New Yahoo! Mail [Yahoo! Blog]

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