Google shocked the internet world on April 1, 2004. They announced a new email service called Gmail. Many people thought it was an April Fool’s joke. The timing made sense for a prank. Google had a history of playful April 1st announcements. This one seemed too big to be true.
(April 1, 2004: Gmail launched as an April Fool’s Day joke)
Gmail promised one gigabyte of free storage. This amount was huge at the time. Competitors offered only tiny fractions of that space. People struggled constantly to delete old emails. One gigabyte felt like science fiction. It seemed impossible Google would give it away.
Google insisted Gmail was real. The company explained the service used advanced search technology. This technology organized emails differently. It allowed for massive storage without high costs. People remained deeply skeptical. The April 1st date was a major problem.
Google launched Gmail anyway. It started as an invitation-only service. This limited access fueled more doubt. Early users slowly confirmed the service existed. They reported the storage was real. The powerful search function worked well. The interface felt clean and fast.
(April 1, 2004: Gmail launched as an April Fool’s Day joke)
The initial skepticism faded fast. Gmail was clearly not a joke. It was a genuine product launch. The one gigabyte storage changed expectations forever. Competitors scrambled to increase their own free offerings. Gmail’s arrival marked a major shift in webmail. It forced everyone to improve. Google offered a fundamentally better email experience. The April Fool’s Day launch became a legendary tech story.