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So many established players blew it on messaging. Microsoft could've had WhatsApp if they used their decade head-start to make Skype not suck so much. Google co

So many established players blew it on messaging. Microsoft could've had WhatsApp if they used their decade head-start to make Skype not suck so much. Google could've had it if they stopped rebooting their messaging strategy completely once a year and just stuck with something for a change (my vote would've been for Wave, but just pick something). Apple could've had it with iMessage if they didn't stick to the iPhone strategy tax. None of them saw how important it would be and are now scrambling to catch up.

fnbr 10y ago
Also, Slack- if Lync wasn't as brutal to use, Microsoft would have stopped Slack dead.
- trome 10y ago
  Cue Lync eating all my ram :P
- godzillabrennus 10y ago
  That's like comparing manure to apples. Lynch was an abomination to support, it was billed as a kind of a sip client and messenger combo but of course they Microsofted it. They didn't want an extension or phone number tied to it so people could only call you if you were in the same network and had the software installed.
Macha 10y ago
Another example, nobody hated aim as much as AOL did back in the early days: http://kellenprojects.com/2014/04/rise-fall-aol-instant-messanger/ http://kellenprojects.com/2014/04/rise-fall-aol-instant-mess...
marssaxman 10y ago
I'm surprised that Wave had a messaging system in it. As far as I could tell, it was just a weird collaborative outliner. How did you get to the messaging system?
- scotu 10y ago
  well, it was looking like an email client (sender[s]/recipient[s] + message thread), but was "realtime", so it's not difficult to see it as an instant messenger (the parent message wasn't referring to a chat box inside Wave). But then again, it's not difficult to see any social network as a glorified forum if you look hard enough
verelo 10y ago
Skype, anyone remember MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ...the list goes on! Companies have been winning and shortly after failing at this game for decades.
- hoozter 10y ago
  Perhaps because users don't care what app they use to send messages with? Text messages is like this universal thing we do. Nobody cares which phone their friend uses when calling each other, as long as the other person has a phone too it's all good. Messages should be like decentralized signals, and "apps" should be the radios of those signals. Nobody is going to "win" messages. People are sending messages with whatsapp, sms, facebook, snapchat........
tdkl 10y ago
Well Apple already "has it", because iMessage is selling iDevices, which brings in more $ then a subscription.

fnbr 10y ago

Also, Slack- if Lync wasn't as brutal to use, Microsoft would have stopped Slack dead.

trome 10y ago
Cue Lync eating all my ram :P
godzillabrennus 10y ago
That's like comparing manure to apples. Lynch was an abomination to support, it was billed as a kind of a sip client and messenger combo but of course they Microsofted it. They didn't want an extension or phone number tied to it so people could only call you if you were in the same network and had the software installed.

Macha 10y ago

Another example, nobody hated aim as much as AOL did back in the early days: http://kellenprojects.com/2014/04/rise-fall-aol-instant-messanger/ http://kellenprojects.com/2014/04/rise-fall-aol-instant-mess...

marssaxman 10y ago

I'm surprised that Wave had a messaging system in it. As far as I could tell, it was just a weird collaborative outliner. How did you get to the messaging system?

scotu 10y ago
well, it was looking like an email client (sender[s]/recipient[s] + message thread), but was "realtime", so it's not difficult to see it as an instant messenger (the parent message wasn't referring to a chat box inside Wave). But then again, it's not difficult to see any social network as a glorified forum if you look hard enough

verelo 10y ago

Skype, anyone remember MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ...the list goes on! Companies have been winning and shortly after failing at this game for decades.

hoozter 10y ago
Perhaps because users don't care what app they use to send messages with? Text messages is like this universal thing we do. Nobody cares which phone their friend uses when calling each other, as long as the other person has a phone too it's all good. Messages should be like decentralized signals, and "apps" should be the radios of those signals. Nobody is going to "win" messages. People are sending messages with whatsapp, sms, facebook, snapchat........

tdkl 10y ago

Well Apple already "has it", because iMessage is selling iDevices, which brings in more $ then a subscription.