You know how you’ve just got used to that Google+-inspired black menu bar across the top of your screen? Get ready to get used to something else. Google is in the process of rolling out a new interface, the Google Bar, which lets you switch between Google services (Gmail, Docs, Calendar and the like) from a drop-down menu.
You can see the new version in action in the video above; I’m weirdly reminded of the Windows 95 Start menu. As with many Google updates, this will get rolled out gradually; right now I’m still seeing the old interface on my system.
Like most changes, it will make some of us nervous, and it’s clearly designed to encourage people to use Google+; all its key options remain visible, but getting to other services requires more work. That’s not great if you’re indifferent to Google+ (though it definitely has its uses), but I suspect Google won’t be making it easy to switch back once it goes live.
The next stage in our redesign [Official Google Blog]
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