Google Gmail storms past AOL to breathe heavily down Hotmail's neck

Google's Gmail is the world's fastest-growing email service but it has a way to go to catch Yahoo!'s still-growing market share.

ComScore's latest figures for the email market show Yahoo! added almost 20 million users last year, growing its share of the market by 22 per cent from 87.2 million users to 106.2 million users in June. Only Gmail grew faster - a 46 per cent clip - but just 36.9 million people are currently using Gmail. Microsoft's Hotmail is the second-most widely used email with 47.1 million users, up three per cent from last year.

Some outlets, such as TechCrunch, zeroed in on Google's performance, noting that it has now surpassed web 1.0 stalwart AOL's steadily falling share of the email market. Others, such as Daring Fireball, noted that Google has better mindshare among the digerati than Yahoo! or Hotmail.

Yahoo! is still king of the email market as of July 2009 but Gmail has the most momentum (photo credit: ComScore Media Metrix)

But Yahoo!, currently rebranding itself around content and services after dumping its search business on Microsoft, should be thrilled at 22 per cent growth starting from such a large number. Now that Yahoo! will be dependent on attracting eyeballs to its vast network of web content, pushing that content to those logging into Yahoo! to check their email becomes extremely important.

Google has had to make some changes as Gmail has grown larger, tweaking the "labels" sorting structure it uses inside Gmail to behave more like the traditional folder-based organisation used by other email services. Still, there's no doubt that Gmail has breathed new life into the original killer application for the internet since it made its debut five years ago, and Yahoo! Mail will have to make sure to stay on top of evolving usage patterns to maintain its edge.

Original article: Yahoo Mail still king as Gmail lurks from CNET News.com