Did Google Miss the Next Big Thing by Chasing Social Media?

Thanks for pointing this out in my post. What I was trying to suggest is that if I'm already spending 5.5 hours per month on Facebook looking at photos, commenting, liking things, etc. Why, once the functionality was available within the interface and on my mobile device, would I jump out of my default environment to use a series of other tools that don't integrate at all w/my preferred online service.

I was a bit rushed in the composition of this post as I wrote it on the train; but you are correct. Technically those things are in one place, just not the place a large majority of Internet users are choosing to spend their time online.

That was my point. Google had the opportunity, but in their race to get into the social game blew it with Buzz, Wave, Friend Connect, (the list goes on...) Google wanted social, they didn't think about what the average user might want or use. And now, with all their functionality are still behind.

And I agree with you. The idea of a unified inbox is not revolutionary. You didn't see people jumping up and down with their laptops over their heads like you did at the Wave press conference, and I think that is what will make it more successful.

It may not be revolutionary to you and me; but trust me, my mom's head is going to explode when she gets a text from me in her inbox, can respond via email and then touch a picture of me on her phone to call me from the same thread.