EWWW!

-1! Dislike!
I'ld rather you keep the small black bar, and remove the big bar underneath It has NOTHING on it I need. Why do I need a ~90px bar when the ~30px bar is perfect.

And good reader.. on the last page? Seriously? Why Reader Hating?

What about Google Reader? Is that buried in the sub sub list or has it disappeared completely?

make it narrow ! return the reader !

They must be kidding. Not only Reader is hidden behind the "more" mouseover, but also Calendar.

Why don't they make this darn navigation dropdown customizable...

Different people have different priorities Applications on the innermost menu (like Reader, Finnce or Photos) can be frequently used by some people while the applications on the first menu (like Search, Images and News) can be used rarely. For example any Chrome user would prefer to use ominibox for search instead of selecting "Search" from the Google Bar Menu.

Is it just me or does that +notification look more green than red?

No! we want the black navigation bar not this!

I agree the black navigation bar is much better why change something that works

I think the new navigation bar looks better.

Google cant seem to win, when they redesign there new site to take more space they get moaned at. When they redesign the site to use less space they get moaned at.

I am hoping they build some sort of auto adapt feature into the menu, so the menu changes to bring the service you use the most to the front whiles moving the ones you do not use often to the More menu.

I agree with the last post!

I think they're going in the right direction, as it does utilize screen space better. I hope all the links consistently open in a new tab (window) or in the same tab. With the existing menu bar, I never know where a link is taking me.
Google still needs a way to give us access to their services when we're not on their sites. A lot of Chrome extensions do this, one of the the better ones being an auto-hiding side bar.

If Google can remember what tabs I closed most recently, and what websites I visit most frequently, why can't it remember what Google products I use? Hiding Reader? Not a good move. I use it everyday. Search? Please. It's right up on my Chrome browser, totally ubiqutious. I don't need a link. Photos? Sites? Rarely used. Make changes if you want. But be truly useful and considerate of your users and let us customize our menus!

And where is YouTube? Ok, we have link to Blogger now, but what about YouTube?

YouTube is in the main menu...

Also there is not "Sites" showing - will these move into the Docs List area ... and Will the docs area also morph to Google Drive?

And what about Groups? Will these be merged into Google+ somehow?

Gosh.. not more click in google docs logo to refresh. It will be two (2) clicks to refresh.

@Anonymous

To refresh you can just click on Docs below the logo

WHEN WILL IT COME? WHEN WILL IT COME?

Sorry about the caps lock, but I just want it so much as I rarely used GBar and now there's finally a way to get more screen space and semi-hide Gbar :)

I think the menu should work like the Start menu in Windows. The black section would be pinned sites (or "apps" as Google might call them), then in the More sub-menu, there could be the recent and/or other sites.

I liked previous look for Google navigation bar but I don't have anything against the new version as well.
So far it doesn't appear on my account so can't say if is that good as Google claims, but overall looks is nice and clean as the rest of Google new design

Google Introduces Smooth Scrolling to Reader and a New Bar for Easier Navigation - http://www.tech.nolicio.us/2011/11/new-google-bar-smooth-scrolling-reader.html

Nice to see how Google came-up to extremely improve GUI and UX in the last few years.

no cookies for the new bar?

Use the new Google bar now: http://tecno-net.blogspot.com/2011/11/truco-para-usar-la-nueva-barra-de.html

Super iGoogle extension has given back real estate a long time ago. I seems like we will have to turn back on the space hog header to be able to access to new nav menu?

Yeah, I like Super iGoogle extension, too--for Chrome. Maybe he'll make it shorter.

Alex,

While I totally agree with you here (and in most cases), I can't help but notice that you've gradually become more and more negative about new Google features over the years. I've been reading gOS blog since before Chrome and Android, back in the days where the idea of a Google OS provided a glimmer of hope.

It's just sad to see how Google has changed, and how that's changed you, me, and our impressions of them.

This is absolutely terrible. The bar takes up 3x more space while claiming to be more "streamlined," and things that used to take under a second to get to such as gmail now require a sub-menu. At the least make it CUSTOMIZABLE. google+ should by no means be at the top. This wastes valuable screen space and just looks foolish.

Waiting for this to come out.

A vital improvement would be the ability to either manually customize the menu, or get it customized for you by frequency of use of lets say, a month.

Nice, but why we can't sort the order of Google products in the bar?

Héctor.

How would you got about sorting? Toggle into some sort of edit mode? Maybe by clicking and holding, or right-clicking one of the menu items?

OK, The new look was forced upon me and it's really bad... How do I revert back to the black bar? I would hate to have to chuck Google to the side with AltaVista and Yahoo.

I don't mind the new layout, I actually think in some places it's better than the black bar. I think to make most people happy though, you should make it so users can put the services in an order they choose. If I use reader and music a lot, but not youtube and docs then let me swap them out

why does this new navigation menu have to pop up automatically by default when you go to the google homepage? it's ugly as sin and there needs to have an option of at least disabling that.

For us in BraZil we should change to this code
document.cookie="PREF=ID=03fd476a699d6487:U=88e8716486ff1e5d:FF=0:LD=en:CR=2:TM=1322688084:LM=1322688085:S=McEsyvcXKMiVfGds; path=/; domain=.google.com.br";window.location.reload();

I wish there is a way for the user to select the links on the main drop down menu. Because I use Google Reader other than most of the other items that is displayed by default.

Anyone already got the new interface (without changing code)?

I hate it, it's ugly, it's too big, I liked it the way I had it set up. If I can't get rid of it I'll use another search engine. Too bad cuz I loved using google, it looked clean, uncluttered and nice.

I hate the search redesign. It hides critical functionality. I can't just click on a link I can see, but must take an extra step. A lot of people won't be able to find the functionality they need.

After Google sprang this on me the other night, I switched my default browser search to other engines.

As Bruce Tognazzini recently posted,

"Graphic designers, left unchecked and unschooled, are likely to aim for maximum visual simplicity at the expense of both learnability and usability. Such interfaces require users to discover new capabilities by clicking around and seeing what happens. Users don't do that. In the most extreme cases, functionality desperately needed by the majority of users may actually be removed from products in the effort to generate visual simplicity."

Two thumbs down, Google. This stinks.

I honestly love the look but there needs to be customization. If I could choose what services go where that would be great for example when I am logged into my personal account I would like to see reader, YouTube, music ext. under the main tab. When I am logged into my business account have docs and calender on it. Over all I think its a great step forward the only thing I don't like is having services buried because there not as "popular"...

Also on the topic of services please stop killing the ones I use (scarred to try anything new in case its scrapped down the line resulting in losing all the time invested in the product). If it takes too much resources to keep developing just stop updating the product but please just keep them accessible.

For all the people complaining about the new interface and threatening to leave Google just stop it... Do you pay for Google as a service? No! So lets just be thankful its free and that they are actively trying to better integrate all their services for your convenience. If its so bad start using Bing and waste half your life trying to find relative information on the topic your searching for.

I look forward to any new improvements you guys roll-out next year. 2011 has been an amazing year for innovation on Google's behalf and I hope that after you finish updating the web interface that some time will be spent better integrating Chrome browser/OS and Android with all of Google's web services

Two Thumbs Up, Google. This is Awesome.

I absolutely hate it. It is anoying, even though, if I click on google home page it goes away, it comes back every time, I am trying to do things. Take it away, and give us back our old google home page, with the cached option where it belongs. Or, give us that dislike it so much, at least the option to have the older home page.

Now that this feature has been added, every time I open up the google home page, the menu is active. Unless I select the text bar, I cannot type into the search engine. This means I can no longer open the google webpage and type what I'm looking for. Instead, one must select the text bar with your mouse before you can enter text. Even worse, there is no option to customize how this new feature is displayed. I'm not diggin'this at all.

Yuck yuck yuck, the black bar works and has a classic look to it. The new / proposed system sucks, please don't start acting like Facebook and changing stuff because you want to keep your engineers gainfully employed and forget your users.

UGLY I HATE IT. How can we revert to the black bar.

Please leave the black bar - -and the email system No change necessary.

google your Black Navigation Bar sucks. please change it back. less is more

I started searching to figure out how to get the black bar back. I didn't realize how many people were loosing their minds over the black bar lol. Some people are so dramatic over stupid little things.

I already know I'm the minority because I like dark grey themes that take up the least amount of screen real estate possible. So it takes me a long time to set things up the way I like it. I was using a Stylish theme to make google darker but now the new googlebar doesnt work with my theme.

Anyway, I'd prefer the new googlebar be thinner but I like the combined functionality. I agree with others that it needs some customizable options. But for now I guess I just have to wait for some Stylish themes to update for the new toolbar.

I want the old classic google look back.Even before the horrid black bar thingy! We should ALWAYS be given the ability to opt out of any 'new' updates.

Please don't get rid of the black navigation bar! I've seen screen shots of the new bar and it is not only too wide, but it is an ugly grey colour too. I much prefer the black nav bar. At least give us a way of customising the colour before implementing it!

I finally get my web brower clean up with clutter and then this big 1" hog spacing bar is now on top of my screen. The side menu bar keeps popping up in my way too. It has nothing in the menus I like anyway. I'm a fan of no clutter. This just adds clutter.

Wow, this new one sucks... Way too big and clunky. Bring back the black bar!!!

If you're going to have the drop down menu when hovering over Google, you MUST get rid of the black bar that NOW says: Welcome to the new way to navigate Google. Roll over the logo to have a look.

Now I have to look at an empty bar and hunt down the links I previously had displayed...why?

So glad that people think it sucks as much as I do. Add customization and then I can live with it. No customization, no google sites, how annoying. Way to make things LESS accessible. Fix this google, it's horrible.

Still don't have it. Waiting...

Horrible!!!!!!! Takes longer to switch between WEB, PICTURES, VIDEOS. Make it stop!!!

The menu is open by default - it adds a click to do a simple search from the home page. Is there a URL for the search page, different from the home page?

it is great improvement. I like the new drop-off menu bar. However, to minimize the size of the top band will make it look sexy.
By they way, how to remove the "Welcome to the new way to navigate Google...."

The odd thing is two of my computers running firefox show the old UI, and one of them is showing the new UI. I want to find the cookie that is on the machine showing the new UI and fix it to show the old UI!

I don't like it, just like with most of their "experiments" it's a total fail. It's not user friendly at all, now I have to mouse over then my eyes need to get used to the popup, then find the option I want, then finally click. It was easier before, when you knew exactly where to look at and simply click.

All for what? The looks? Just like with their stupid fade-in that annoyed us for months. Let's hope they react faster to critiques than they did with fade-in. Meanwhile get used to be annoyed.

How come new Google features used to always have an optional "switch back to old look" link and also a "send feedback" link - but now, ever since Google+, changes are just forced upon us like cattle.

All in all, I need MORE clicks to log out, MORE clicks to go to Calendar, and 4x as many clicks to access Google groups. How is this more streamlined? I don't, and will never, use Google+, so why should I stare at it's options while jumping through hoops to get to the features I do (and have for years!)?

I don't give a rat's ass about Google products. I only care about using Google with the search settings configured MY WAY.

With this UI, Google isn’t anymore my home page.

Calendar is now very slow to access compared with the black bar. I look at the calendar frequently from Gmail and often during a phone call to check availability or look at planning calendars with work colleagues. The nature of a calendar often requires looking at it whilst someone is waiting for an answer. I use a touch pad and now instead of a quick glance to find the link in the black bar I have to 1.Have the thought to move to the google logo and HOVER 2.Wait for at least another second for the drop down to initiate 3.swipe my finger 3 times to get to the bottom of the list (even on a fast setting) 4.swipe my finger accurately to the top right of the extension menue 5.finally I can initiate a click to open the calendar unless I have been clumsy and allowed the menu to close in which case start all over again. This is not easy whilst talking to a client. It should just be ordered not in terms of most used but which items need rapid access due to the likely context of use. For example I use news many times per day but I would swap its position for Calendar because its no big deal to browse to news a little more casually.

Why? Was the screen so cluttered before that the little menu in the corner hide to be hidden. Now instead of just clicking on whatever tab I wanted I now have to wait for the the menu to drop down and then click on what I want? How is this simplifying something by adding an extra step?

ditch it!

I don't mind the new navigation drop-down, but allow me to customize it! I want MY most-often-used functions on the main menu, not what somebody else thinks I want there!

Both black bar & this new design is just ugly. I think that this new design is worse than the black bar.

I miss classic and being able to click on translate on the right hand side of the search bar. Now translate is hidden under 'more', which really sucks. Get rid of 'more' altogether, and get something that has everything and actually works.

Ok I don't know what I have to, but I can't get rid of the black google navigation bar. On my laptop I can get this "new" drop-down menu look, but on my desktop PC I can't. Only difference is laptop is running Windows 7 and desktop is Windows XP. Any thoughts? ccowger@iinet.com

This is horrible, it's overtly thick, very unessisary use of space. The color is abismal and the clunky menu with a multiple sub menus that you have to click on per each is a joke. It's inefficient and just plain annoying. There is zero reason that you can do some mild customizations to your own profile and page setup. Fix it please!