It is now exactly a month since Google Wallet launched, and there’s been nary a sound from the venture since. On the day of the launch, I submitted to Google my email address for notifications on “Google Wallet availability and product updates.” I’ve gotten no response since then. Not one.
I was struck by this as I read eWeek’s recent blast of Wallet as a “well-intentioned, but unfinished and raw” product. Now, I’m sure by the time you read this Google will have sent some notice regarding Wallet, and I’ll look silly for pointing out that only the sound of crickets has been heard from Google since Wallet’s launch. But, in my view, if you are going to launch a product, shouldn’t it be ready for use, let alone ready for testing? Google Wallet was neither when it launched a month ago. Its pilots in New York and San Francisco are expected to start this summer. Thankfully, until then, Google will be spared the effort of planning its product launch in favor of actually launching the product.