I’ve had Google Wave for a few weeks now.  Thanks to invites, the majority of people I contact regularly now have Wave as well.

And, it’s pretty cool without a doubt.  There are a lot of good ideas and useful scenarios, bugs aside.

This being said, I can’t help but ask the question: What if someone else invented Google Wave?

I can’t help but think that Google Wave’s reputation as “revolutionary” is largely due to the word Google. Nothing Google Wave does is particularly revolutionary by itself. All of the technologies they have implemented are in wide usage around the Internet. It isn’t an idea that, if put before a group of web developers, they would respond “It can’t be done.” (but, of course, it is worth noting that until this point it hadn’t been done)

I suspect that if another, smaller entity put together a product like this it would not be taken seriously on its own merits.  The fact is, if anyone at all has a chance at “reinventing e-mail”, it’s Google.  I also suspect that the gradual roll out is in part an effort to drum up excitement that is only possible when there is an air of exclusivity. Where users not only have access, but they are granted the lofty notions of privilege.

The potential effectiveness of Google Wave as a sequel to e-mail are far from being realized at the moment. There are so few ways to interact with wave outside of a browser (if you don’t have an iPhone or Android phone) and while the protocol and API are at least partially available, the time when large providers put their weight behind it is a long way off, if it ever happens.

My intent is not to take away from what Google has accomplished. Certainly these features, in this configuration are novel, but perhaps their true novelty and usefulness are being overstated because we are predisposed to love what Google does?

Anyway, that’s my two cents.