I think the reason they went for the 'non-minimalist' look is to show off their other services that people would otherwise not have seen.
I think they've chosen the fade-in effect because it's the most simple thing that can be done in this case. It would be a mistake to use it in other situations, but in this case it's fine. Anybody who uses Google often knows that when the website has loaded fully, the text input is the first thing that you're focused on (literally and digitally), it will automatically place your text in their when you start typing (don't know how to word this, but you know what I mean).
This means that people don't
need to know or even
use shortcuts when it comes to it! The input box is already active as soon as the site loads up! No F6, no Tab, Shift-Tab - no nothing.
Edit: Regarding usability; Google are thinking about the 'bigger picture' and not just what you personally use Google for. All you're concentrating on is the way that
you use Google not the way that the majority use it. Google will have
definitely researched this before making the change. If you read the article on Mashable (which I linked to in my previous post), you will also notice that Google tried 10 (I think that was the number) different variations before reaching this one.
Knowing Google, their stature and their background. They would have definitely got some user-experience testers to try each separate version before coming up with the final decision.
Edit 2: Besides, if you're that bothered by the change you don't have to put up with it. You've got the opportunity to use iGoogle if you want to! This will even allow you to have your language tools set as a widget.
Plus, you can use the
iGoogle theme I created.
