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Wave also makes strides in connecting a global workforce. Imagine you're writing to a colleague in France. As you type in English, the recipient sees the message in French. It's mind-boggling to witness. All this happens in a standard internet browser without even a plug-in being installed.
As an open standard, anyone can build a Wave server much like anyone can create their own email server. This means the general public and corporations will develop the technology rapidly. Clearly this has serious implications for email; but it doesn't stop there.
Google Wave will rapidly accelerate convergence
With the birth of the term "Web 2.0" we've seen an explosion in social applications from
old-timers like MySpace and Facebook to rookies such
as Twitter.
Increasingly these are services we plug into rather than destinations we visit as web surfers become tired of maintaining profiles on multiple sites. Twitter.com for example is fed by thousands of mobile and web-based applications rather than relying on the web interface itself. Google Wave embraces these third-party services
by allowing users to plug in any social tool. That could mean a 'Wave' containing a live Twitter feed or a dynamic gaming scoreboard. It could include polling or slideshows; or even entire office applications like Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets.
It is likely to shift the way we interact with the web and possibly with software more broadly. We will also see the convergence of applications and devices accelerate dramatically as Open Source developers and opportunist SME's race to create the latest add-on.
Large business will be vulnerable to nimbler, better connected teams
Just as the Open Source philosophy has allowed savvy technology firms like Apple to develop their product portfolio at breakneck speed, Google Wave will also evolve faster than any firm could achieve on their own.
Open Source developers and start-up companies will scramble to innovate and offer new functionality for Wave. As an example of how well this can work, Apple now boasts 50,000 applications on its iPhone since it opened up its architecture just 14 months ago. 'Me too' companies have so far been unable to close the gap, with
Google's Android system attracting a mere 4,900 apps and BlackBerry, once the king of the smart-phone holding an insignificant 1,030 apps.
The nature of Wave will also empower networked individuals to collaborate faster and more effectively than previously possible. Whether that means programmers de-bugging the same code in real-time or R&D teams brainstorming from opposite sides of the world. It will provide a major boost to teleworkers and networked organisations everywhere.
Verdict: will businesses
adopt Wave?
Some large firms have already voiced scepticism; citing enormous technical, cultural and infrastructure barriers. Our feeling is that the internet savvy community will not wait for large firms to rollout this technology and that makes goliath firms vulnerable to change. SMEs and Technology firms will move first and the odds are that the rest will follow.
Whilst recognising the hurdles that blue-chip companies face to make this a reality our advice to any business would be to keep close tabs on Wave. The game is about to change and it will affect every business that values speed and innovation.
