Gmail has finally opened to everyone. The era of invitation-only access is over, and just like that, one of the internet’s most coveted inboxes is now available to all.

With about 60 million users, Gmail is already the third-largest email provider in the world. Its appeal is obvious: 2.8GB of storage (and growing), lightning-fast search, and smooth integration with Google apps like Google Talk.

This puts pressure on long-time leaders like Hotmail with roughly 236 million users and Yahoo! Mail with about 246 million. But that’s precisely why this shift is exciting. Competition sparks innovation, and when giants battle for our attention, we, the users, reap the rewards.

Bigger inboxes, more innovative features, and better tools are on the horizon. Gmail going public isn’t just about ending invitations—it’s about raising the standard for what email should be.