Google Wave to Come to Apps This Year

Most people aren't ready to give up on Google Wave just yet, but the general consensus is that the service is not ready for mainstream use and could do with a bit more tightening up. Still, Google is confident Wave is launching for everyone this year, it's currently in private beta, what's more it's also integrating it in its enterprise offering, Google Apps.

Google Enterprise President Dave Girouard told eWeek that Google Wave was coming for regular users and businesses alike this year, though that isn't much of a surprise. While Wave isn't open to everyone just yet, there are about one million users already, just with the invitation-only system. Granted, most have been driven by curiosity but have given up on the product very soon.

For those that managed to get a hold of it, Wave is showing just how useful it can be. It's not an email killer and it's not going to replace other IM services, but as a real-time collaboration tool it's surprisingly adequate. Unsurprisingly, those who are getting the most out of Wave are those using it at work or at school, which is why it's probably more imporant in Google Apps than it is to the general public, at least in its current state.

For its part, not even Google is sure what are most people going to use Wave for, which is why it's still in private beta, but it says that it's definitely coming to Google Apps and will also integrate with other Google products. "We are trying to learn and see what sort of use cases evolve from it and how it changes," Girouard told eWeek. "It's not nearly at the level of understanding and readiness of the core Google Apps services." Google Apps in the meantime will come into its own in 2010, at least that's how Google sees it, and it will become a much more powerful competitor to traditional office, email and collaboration suites from the likes of Microsoft and IBM.