Your New Friend GIM?

Another piece of Google's plans for world domination may be starting to take shape. The LA Times and MSNBC are reporting that Google may be getting ready to launch their own instant messenger program.

Why?

What could Google possibly bring to the table that isn't already offered by everything that's been out there for a bazillion years? (in internet time that is...)

File sharing? Got it.
Photo sharing? Got it.
Audio chat? Got it.
Maybe videoconferencing? Nope everyone does that too...

The only thing I could possibly think of is maybe an im program that can send an im to somebody using ANY im software? I know that there's software like Trillian out there now that does this, but it's not perfect. When I used it, I couldn't get it to transfer files to AIM users, nor could I get it to log onto Yahoo Instant Messenger... ever.

I'm sure that Trillian has gotten better since my days of agravation with it a few years ago, but there's another thing that Google would have to overcome if it was to release an IM client... They've got to get people to use it. AOL is THE leader here, and nobody's been able to touch them. Heck Microsoft has been sticking Windows Messenger (now MSN Messenger) on every Windows XP computer since the OS was released, and they're still a distant second with Yahoo scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Maybe Google can come up with another viral marketing scheme for GIM like they did with g-mail? Heck, maybe Google will refuse to publicly open up GIM and leave it as an invite only system just like g-mail? You know, only the "internet cool people" have invites to GIM... Of course if GIM doesn't talk to the other im programs, you'll be stuck just talking to the few GIM subscribers that manage to get invites.... And will any of the "internet cool people" really be people you'll want to talk to?