Are there advantages to using the mail app?

[reese2147]

Within OS X, are there any advantages to using the native app as opposed to using the web version of email (on any platform really). The only one I can think of is instant notifications of incoming mail....

My parents purchased their first mac and are trying to determine whether to use the mail app or web version of their email.

 

[stisdal]

For me, the Mail app is useful as it downloads my mail and stores on the HD. This makes it easier to manage mail folders and have offline viewing.

Another plus is that I have multiple mail accounts and I can manage them all right there in this one place...

 

[Spink10]

Apple Mail App has been junky for me - they have acknowledge several bugs with gmail. I still use it.

 

[stisdal]

Apple Mail App has been junky for me - they have acknowledge several bugs with gmail. I still use it.

The bugs are with Gmails IMAP implementation, they want to be different than everyone else... Google it and you will see for yourself. At that point I transitioned away from gmail. Multiple threads on this issue.

 

[Queen6]

I use it, and don't have any issue with it, linked to MS Exchange Server accounts and several other email accounts. Exchange was a little quirky under 10.10, now 10.10.1 all seems good including Gmail.

I like that all my mail is unified under one interface. I can organise folders & searches, set rules easily. Looked at other options however kept circling back to Apple`s Mail and I am using it for business/work so the email traffic is significant 200-250 a day.

Q-6

 

[Spink10]

The bugs are with Gmails IMAP implementation, they want to be different than everyone else... Google it and you will see for yourself. At that point I transitioned away from gmail. Multiple threads on this issue.

Stuck with gmail - company email is through them

 

[Queen6]

Stuck with gmail - company email is through them

I use Gmail with Apple`s Mail app with no issue and "Mail" is able to seamlessly integrate multiple email accounts, so I just drag & drop the mail where I want and "Mail" gets on with the rest, even between different accounts like Gmail, Outlook.com & Exchange etc. updating both the mail client and all servers

Q-6

 

[Nabooly]

I use Gmail with Apple`s Mail app with no issue and "Mail" is able to seamlessly integrate multiple email accounts, so I just drag & drop the mail where I want and "Mail" gets on with the rest, even between different accounts like Gmail, Outlook.com & Exchange etc. updating both the mail client and all servers

Q-6

Same here, I have 2 Gmail accounts and my regular ISP provided mail account. Works perfectly, fetches all emails between the 3. Haven't had any problems yet.

Personally, I don't like having to login multiple times on the web to get my email.

 

[stapoz]

The main advantage of Mail app is that it is free. If you want other decent mail client with the similar functionality - you must pay for it. The Mail also very good manages big mail accounts - I have more than 20.000 mails in my inbox and never had any noticeable lags.

 

[leman]

It all depends on your usage scenario, so I don't know how your question can be answered completely. I use Apple Mail because a) I don't like webmail interfaces b) I want to have access to my mail offline c) its free d) for my workflow and demands, it beats any other email client I have ever tried (and I have tried basically all of them).

Bottomline: if the web interface works for you and there are no issues, there are certainly no reasons to change your habits.

 

[KALLT]

I use Apple Mail because a) I don't like webmail interfaces b) I want to have access to my mail offline

Pretty much this. A native experience is richer, more solid. It also allows you to store some of your e-mails offline, so you don't have to keep your entire archive on the server. Also, with many advertising-based providers, you never know what kind of data is collected. A native client can reduce that output, not to mention that you won't have to deal with ads.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

The bugs are with Gmails IMAP implementation, they want to be different than everyone else... Google it and you will see for yourself. At that point I transitioned away from gmail. Multiple threads on this issue.

Lol and yet it only seems to be Apple mail that has a problem....

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Easy to setup. Handles multiple accounts. Convenient and notifies of new mail arrivals. That is all. I tried several third party clients and decided to stick with it.

 

[Zxxv]

Your missing the constant breakages. The display of ! next to email accounts. emails that don't send because the out going server has somehow got corrupted or changed its settings or who knows because if they did know they would fix it.

Your missing so much frustration come on in

 

[scaredpoet]

Lol and yet it only seems to be Apple mail that has a problem....

Nope.

http://superuser.com/questions/603362/how-to-make-thunderbird-play-nice-with-google-mail

http://operawiki.info/GmailIMAP

http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/2013/outlook-2013-imap-troubles/

 

[Manic Harmonic]

I gave Mail a try. It didn't get my work email automatically, I always had to click the get new messages button manually. Other accounts worked fine. I ended up going back to Thunderbird.

 

[Abazigal]

You would miss out on the features on the native version of mail, such as the ability to create a new email by dragging files into the mail app on the dock, maildrop (send files of up to 5gb by uploading them to Apple's servers), handoff (if you also use the mail app on an iOS device), just to name a few.

That said, I had a lot of problems with Mail (mainly it not playing nice with gmail), and so I have switched to Mailbox. Maybe it works better with Yosemite, I haven't bothered going back to check.

 

[Zxxv]

You would miss out on the features on the native version of mail, such as the ability to create a new email by dragging files into the mail app on the dock, maildrop (send files of up to 5gb by uploading them to Apple's servers), handoff (if you also use the mail app on an iOS device), just to name a few.

That said, I had a lot of problems with Mail (mainly it not playing nice with gmail), and so I have switched to Mailbox. Maybe it works better with Yosemite, I haven't bothered going back to check.

nope. It works one day. Then apple push an update and it breaks. Or/and it may just break.

 

[leman]

That said, I had a lot of problems with Mail (mainly it not playing nice with gmail), and so I have switched to Mailbox. Maybe it works better with Yosemite, I haven't bothered going back to check.

Mail in Yosemite has a completely rewritten mail engine. It does work better than in Mavericks, but there are some bugs (probably because of the rewrite) that will be hopefully fixed soon. That said, my Mavericks Mail worked really nice with gmail and so does Yosemite. I am not really sure what kind of problems with gmail you are referring to. I have tried Mailbox in the past and found it to be inferior to Apple Mail, at least for my workflows.

 

[Abazigal]

Mail in Yosemite has a completely rewritten mail engine. It does work better than in Mavericks, but there are some bugs (probably because of the rewrite) that will be hopefully fixed soon. That said, my Mavericks Mail worked really nice with gmail and so does Yosemite. I am not really sure what kind of problems with gmail you are referring to. I have tried Mailbox in the past and found it to be inferior to Apple Mail, at least for my workflows.

Basically, with mail, new email was very slow to come in and send. Emails can be coming in like 15-20 minutes after it "dinged" on my phone.

I use mailbox on my Mac to complement said app on my iOS devices. Mainly because it is one of the very few mail apps which supports push gmail.

 

[leman]

Basically, with mail, new email was very slow to come in and send. Emails can be coming in like 15-20 minutes after it "dinged" on my phone.

Ah, yes, I also have that occasionally with the new Mail. Its quite annoying. Hope they fix it soon (not sure if 10.10.2 has a fix, don't remember when was the last time I had this problem).