Google is keeping it simple to win the IM battle

Its very simple.

Google is outflanking Microsoft and Yahoo by keeping their product simple.

Compare the search engines from Google, Microsoft and Yahoo.. which site looks like a search engine.. Google

Microsoft and Yahoo have cluttered their main page and it looks like a portal now, not a search engine.

Its the same with Google Talk. There are a majority who want a simple IM, not an IM that is cluterred with the bells and whistle that is available today.

Google is also luring Microsoft and Yahoo into telling netizens that Google doesn't having these bells and whistles and that they have.

This is classic marketing warfare of outflanking the competitors.

The more Microsoft and Yahoo say, "We got this, we got that but Google Talk doesn't have", the more Google Talk will be attractive to the simple user.

Google isn't looking at increasing its market share, its looking at it can decrease their competitors market share.

Microsoft should take the defensive stance of attacking itself rather taking pot shots at Google.

For example, it knows that its IM doesn't have have offline messaging like ICQ or even skype, should it have added it by now. The new MSN v8 is much better than MSN v7 because of upgrades like this, and that, and this...

As for Yahoo, themediaslut has not thought of a solution, but it seems it lies between its partnership with Flickr...