Is Google Losing It?

Over the past few months I can't help but feel that Google is losing the momentum it had several months ago. Allow me to elaborate:

1. Google Talk - Leading up to its release there were tons of rumours about some sort of Google IM client and interest was high. When it was finally posted for download almost everyone was underwhelmed. Although many people I know have it installed, nobody ever uses it.

2. Google Pack - This collection of applications does make it easier to get essential applications for fresh Windows installs. However, a lot of the applications included are definitely not the best in their class and can be extremely intrusive. Some examples are Real Player and the trial version of Norton Antivirus.

3. Google Video - While I am very excited about being able to download these files in iPod Video formats, the regular Google Video format and Google Video Player are horrible. Do we really need another media format with its own DRM? Everyday consumers are already confused as it is.

Judging from blog entries and online magazine articles, I am not the only one with these opinions. High profile sites such as The Register and PC Magazine have also posted similar opinions.

With the exception of Google Earth and Picasa, all of Google's applications have really lacked the polish and features expected from a multi-billion dollar company. Google really should stay focused on where they dominate-- search and web-based applications.