Google did not provide specifics, but said that a technical problems had prevented a "small subset of users" from getting into their e-mail accounts. Other services like Google’s search engine were also affected.

The intermittent trouble lasted for hours before the issues were fixed by early afternoon EDT.

Before the repair, people without Google service went elsewhere on the internet to express their disgruntlement. For example, multiple messages on Twitter indicated that people all over the world were having trouble accessing Google.  

Because Google is used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, even a small outage can have a major impact.

As part of its effort to retain its current users and expand its market share so it can sell more Internet ads, Google has invested billions of dollars to create a vast network of computers to lessen the chances of breakdowns.

Although its search engine is renowned for its reliability, Google isn't fail-safe. Its 5-year-old e-mail service, in particular, has been susceptible to periodic breakdowns.