I use Gmail more than I use Google search

I don't understand the point of this. You might as well claim "I bring my lunch more than I ride the bus."

The claim or the app, Ralph?

I don't understand the point of the claim.

OK, me neither. Eggs or bricks: any preference?

Yep.

The point is that the primary Google service is not their primary, original service. If one were to claim "Gmail is better than google search" then it would be silly.

Er, the first primary = time spent. Second = focus of Google Inc. I should really reread my comments before hitting publish.

The primary business of Google is to sell ads. Both Gmail and Google search accomplish that goal. I believe that Google is one of the few corporations that has continued to focus on its core business - unlike Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo and who knows how many others.

it's hard to say which i "use more" -- my browser makes more requests per day to gmail than to google search... but i spend more time reading things i got from google search than from gmail.

I don't use either!