I have no issues I'm on 5.1.1

 

Just a guess but I would say there is a good chance Google is migrating accounts to  new datacenter or load balanced application and service is a little choppy during the transition.

I have no issues either, I got Sparrow on my iPhone and have been receiving my emails fine and when I open Mail in the iPhone it also downloads the messages without problem. I am running 5.1.1 as well. It is likely just a little bump that affected some users, should be working fine for everyone soon.

Why would anyone use GMail over the free and very secure iCloud mail on an iOS device? I guess gmail is great as your junk mail, account to keep the spam away from your other account, but everything you send or receive through gmail is culled to connect you with advertising.

I set it up as exchange using m.google.com as the server, the usual spam keeps flowing in.

 

 

It's my junk account used for registering for stuff, surveys etc.

 

I use different accounts for different things, this allows for some level of protection of "private" email addresses, which you don't use for anything else.

 

Microsoft has a new service called outlook.com, it looks like competition has pushed them to produce a more than adequate Gmail replacement.

First of all, if you connect via IMAP with a dedicated/standalone mail client, you will not see ads. This isn't just for Gmail, but for Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL Mail, etc.

Gmail has been far more reliable than various iterations of Apple's mail service (Mac.com, MobileMe, iCloud). For that matter, Yahoo and AOL mail are also more reliable than Apple's services. Gmail's spam filter is pretty good too.

Some people like the deep integration between Google's various services and Gmail is the keystone. I don't use my Gmail account anymore but I can't delete the account since I rely on Google Voice.

I prefer using Hotmail for my junk mail account.

Ever since I got my iPhone my Hotmail emails automatically come through but I have to click on my GMail inbox for it to refresh. I hope this is also getting fixed while they are at it.

People need to learn how to follow instructions. You have to enter that one time only password on you idevice for security purposes.

I am using gmail as my primary account for over 5 years and it's a great service accessible from anywhere on earth and has excellent integration with other google services.

Me too, I've been using Gmail as my primary account for years (and iCloud/MobilMe/.mac as a secondary account for years as well) and I really love the service and how reliable it is and also the whole Google ecosystem and how Gmail is your key to it. 

It should be noted that my Gmail account has been hacked on two different occasions. I much prefer iCloud. It feels safer than gmail does.