i'm glad to see that google listens to users' feedbacks, so i'd like to provide my opinion:

i want the plus sign back. i think removing it it's been stupid. i totally agree with the "less is better" philosophy, but if you want to remove an element i suggest to remove the container, because the plus sign has an "universal" meaning, a blank boh-shaped box no. it's less visible, less usable, less productive (more time to find the button)
thanks