After a one year trial, Google has formally announced they are giving up on Google Wave.
Google Wave offered real-time communication and collaboration, raising the bar for what was possible in a Web browser. But it simply didn’t catch on with the masses. The average person didn’t need anything more complicated than instant messaging or e-mail.
But I don’t get why the features that made Google Wave so cool can’t be implemented in their other products. Why can’t Google Chat offer real-time texting capabilities, where you can see what the other person is typing while they’re typing it? This was a great feature that saved a lot of downtime. No more sitting there waiting for the person to finish their long message. Google Wave allowed you to think along with them.
Why can’t Gmail offer drag-and-drop files from the desktop? Now, to be fair, Google has hinted that things like this probably will happen. Google Wave’s innovative features won’t go completely to waste. But perhaps next time you create them, Google, don’t create a new tool. Make your mainstream ones even better.