Google are rolling out an update to their generic navigation bar between their popular products, breaking them out of the current dark bar and moving them to a super navigation dropdown from the logo.
It does seem like a natural location for the navigation although I often use the logo as a home target (as has come convention across the Web).
It’s also welcoming to see a consistent header height across products rather than the current adaptive header height.
All this lends towards a consistent user experience across Google products.
(via @miekd)