gmail paper

This is what greets me when I try logging into gmail.

New! Introducing Gmail Paper

Everyone loves Gmail. But not
everyone loves email, or the digital era. What ever happened to stamps, filing
cabinets, and the mailman? Well, you asked for it, and it’s here. We’re bringing
it back. A New ButtonNow in Gmail, you can request a physical copy of any
message with the click of a button, and we’ll send it to you in the mail.
Simplicity SquaredGoogle will print all messages instantly and prepare them for
delivery. Allow 2-4 business days for a parcel to arrive via post. Total
ControlA stack of Gmail Paper arrives in a box at your doorstep, and it’s yours
to keep forever. You can read it, sort it, search it, touch it. Or even move it
to the trash—the real trash. (Recycling is encouraged.) Keep it Secret, Keep it
SafeGoogle takes privacy very seriously. But once your email is physically in
your hands, it’s as secure as you want to make it. Learn more about Gmail
Paper

What’s the deal? Scratch my head how much ever, I didn’t see what kind of business sense it made for Google to offer such a service. Can’t folks hit print if they wanted? What’s the idea behind reading an email and asking for gmail to print and send it to you?

If it’s a business, hey, it’s paper after all and most businesses couldn’t care less about hitting the print and churning out reams of paper in the process. The examples they provide don’t convince me of why any average person would want someone else to dig into their private/business emails, print them, package them and send it to you. Ok, gmail “reading” mails and advertising alongside created an uproar in itself for many [I couldn’t care as I dont have anything nefarious to hide or personal enough to care if a script read it or a stranger read it] – so am wondering how folks would react to this kinda service.

From a business sense, am at a loss on why google would offer a service which at best could be labeled ‘philanthropy’ – doesn’t matter how green the papers are – it’s paper and there’s a tree behind it, and who knows where those piles are eventually going to land…

Beats me. Totally!

or is this a grand April Fool’s joke?

I shudder at the thought of what happened last year! Oh well..