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The numbers are in for Google Talk, and they're not good

techcrunch.com — "Google (Talk) is a distant, distant 4th after MSN, Yahoo and AIM. They hold a pitiful 1% of total instant messaging market share, with 3.4 million unique users in May 2006." The numbers however do not factor in Google Talk's usage within Gmail.

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  • robbyt, on 10/12/2007, -80/+11nor do the numbers factor in the millions of other people running their own gtalk-compatible jabber servers
    • paryl, on 10/12/2007, -9/+68ahem... *millions* are running jabber servers?
    • IQ70, on 10/12/2007, -12/+32TechCruch has never heard of ICQ?
    • kluge, on 10/12/2007, -5/+43@IQ70

      ICQ is technically integrated with AIM, so I bet the AIM total includes ICQ
    • cremate, on 10/12/2007, -58/+5Where the hell do they get these numbers from? I have yet to meet a person that uses yahoo or MSN that I talk to, and ALL of them use AIM.
    • killerofkiller, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25MSN is majorily used in Europe, most of the foreiners at my school have MSN accounts and dont use aim
    • Tiabin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18The numbers I suppose are only looking at who uses *the* Google Talk client. Plenty of people using the NETWORK (though not millions), and that's all that matters. Sick of seeing badpress on a good open network.
    • plasmatic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Many Canadian's use msn messenger too. I rarely use AIM and if I do, it's to talk to some of my friends who live in the US.
    • KAMiKAZOW, on 10/12/2007, -12/+5@kluge

      I doubt it. Honestly, AIM + ICQ have less users than Yahoo? Maybe it's just my circle of friends, but most people I know use at least ICQ.
    • punkrockxtian, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Your location almost certainly defines which IM client you are going to use. I for one live outside of Toronto, and everybody here uses MSN, but when I visit my friend's in New York, AIM is the dominant client. Also, cremate, stop being so ignorant.
    • affanjam, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2I swear to god the same article was posted a few days ago or im just having a Deja Vu
    • enanogrande1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Yea, as has been pointed out by others, AIM is almost exclusively used in the US; In South America and Europe, most people haven't even heard of AIM and I have yet to meet one that's used their service. I can't speak for Canada, but what I've heard from some friends tells me that situation is more or less the same there, except for the fact that the people are somewhat familiar with AIM (I am unsure, does AOL conduct business as an ISP in Canada? And if so, are they big or not?)
    • nerditup, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I guess you think the only IM client people use is the one you use,

      @cremate, I only use MSN and I could say the same about AIM how no one uses it, just because I don't know anyone that does.. or very few that do.
    • boardo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5The comment about Canadians is true. The large majority of Canadians who use an IM client I find use msn messenger
    • etruscan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I've actually read that MSN's huge following in Canada is not consistent with the USA, where AOL's IM and Yahoo IM tend to prevail. I never suspected that was true, and judging by these stats, I can't see that being the case.
    • etruscan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This article seems to refute these stats:
      http://gigaom.com/2006/07/24/how-many-google-talkrs-really/
    • comrademikhail, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I'm in the US and use MSN. As long with all my friends. Not one person I know uses AIM. A few use YIM. Really, it depends who you know, where you live, etc etc.
    • vdxc, on 09/29/2008, -1/+2in reply to others, MSN (Messenger) is used heavily in the UK. if you're at school and don't have an msn account you get dodgy looks, it really seems to be a thing you must have.
    • troydoogle7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Millions in a few months of service... and thats without even adding any cool features like video and what not..... I think thats a pretty good start...maybe this will encourage them to add features....
    • ywong137, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Why isn't Skype on this list? Isn't that kind of relevant?
    • KoZo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The new Y! IM is a bloatware and to the extent MSN. Asian countries regularly uses Y! IM, and smaller percentage of it MSN.
    • CBTF, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"I have yet to meet a person that uses yahoo or MSN that I talk to, and ALL of them use AIM."

      Then you're American im guessing. Americans are pretty much the only ones that like AIM. Everybody ive seen here in Canada uses MSN. On the flip side ive never met anyone with yahoo IM
    • cleverboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Y'know... This is all *****.

      People are having the IM clients drop-trow and do measurements. --The reason we're in this fine mess to begin with. Who was it? Yahoo and MSN *finally* got to talking about to make their systems compatible after years...? AOL having that initial pissing match with MSN way back before somewhat starting talks with Yahoo. After all these years, why are we still treated to the hostage mentality?

      Meanwhile, of all the chat services Trellian supports, Jabber, the network Google runs on, is the only one you need to pay for (imagine that). Luckily, Apple's iChat works on AOL and Jabber and works just fine with GoogleTalk. Google seems less concerned with hording users, that it does with helping people communicate and get at their data. The integration of GoogleTalk with Gmail has been fantastic, and my office has been anxiously awaiting Google to finish getting its Gmail for Domains out of Beta, integrate Calendar and Gtalk, and have an amazing, hard hitting Web 2.0 collaborative solution. All the other IM clients are pretty obnoxious after a while. I think Google knows EXACTLY what they're doing. They're laying groundwork. I was Gtalking with my employer while he was out on jury duty the other day.

      Combine that with the APIs Google has... Really, some awesome groundwork happening that the other groups are running to make sense of. I think Google is really looking long term here, and being very patient, because it can... Articles like these miss the point, and get me a little angry. Pull everyone's pants up. STOP HORDING USERS. Help people communicate already!
  • ionut, on 10/12/2007, -8/+70These numbers don't include those who use Google Chat from Gmail. Gtalk is not a finished project yet and it lacks many basic features (like sharing files), so why would we care about stats so soon?
    • dougmo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+51I chat with folks through Gmail all the time... I prefer it over having another client open
    • Scruffydan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+63I like gtalk becuase it is not bloatware.

      MSN AIM ICQ (i dont use yahoo) are all bloated. ( i know i can use gaim ir trillian to reduce bloat). In many way gtalk reminds me of ICQ way back when i started using it.
    • cwill341, on 10/12/2007, -50/+2Can your CPU not handle that other client?
    • MioTheGreat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+60No, but my brain dislikes ads, annoying popups, and AIM's strong desire to replace your default browser.
    • Warpling, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Agreed, I am still waiting for file sharing and 3 way calling, etc. I have 7 people that I actually care to talk to, unlike AIM, that has a bunch of people telling you how great they are in away messages, and profiles that have stupid quotes and links to myspace. I believe that an amount of people that have gmail will slowly switch to using it from AIM, It also goes well with people having names as sn's instead of Xx-imbuff-xX, or _-cutegirl-_.
    • texpundit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14"I chat with folks through Gmail all the time... I prefer it over having another client open"

      Same here. My boss and I both use it that way, plus all the contractors we work with and a bunch of my friends all use it that way. I haven't opened Trillian in weeks.
    • masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -5/+16Definitely. Google Talk is worthless to me, but GMail talk is invaluable. GMail has revolutionized the e-mail business again as live chatting integrated with mail should become the new standard.

      That said, those numbers don't look right. Only 33,000 using AIM? Only 350,000 total unique users in the IM market? Those statistics have to be totally off.
    • lookitznaz, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8@ masamunecyrus:

      The (000) after Unique Visitors should be a clue to you that these numbers represent thousands (i.e. 33,000,000 for AIM). Use your head.
    • sincewednesday, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2"That said, those numbers don't look right. Only 33,000 using AIM? Only 350,000 total unique users in the IM market? Those statistics have to be totally off."

      While the statistics may be totally off, the heading says "Unique Visitors (000)." So it's actually 33 million using AIM and 350 million unique users.
    • cosmovi, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5I tried getting my friends to switch, but half of them are Mac users. They have to use iChat, and since GTalk doesn't support file transfers yet, it somehow disabled their AIM transfers. Very unfortunate. They use GTalk in their inbox now, but it's not as good as having that lovely app.

      Luckily, most of my friends switched over, and we're all much happier.
    • cryonix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Gtalk is pretty good with playing games online. its small and fast. no complex setup like some other specificly designed voip services for games
    • easycheez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"Can your CPU not handle that other client?" Anyone who has been using a computer for more than a year will tell you it is best to use minimal resources if possible. Programs that aren't efficient can rob loading time, cause crashes, all sorts of inconveniences. GTalk uses the least amount of resources straight from the software maker then any other IM client. I do not know about third-party joint IM clients.
    • RubberbandLN6, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The reason why I like GTalk so much is because its just simple. You are not bombarded with millions of options, you are not given a loud and annoying ring or message every time someone signs on and it's not bundled with tons of unnecessary features. It knows what it wants to be and it does it very well.
    • vdxc, on 09/29/2008, -0/+4i like Gtalk because it's queit, doesn't have adverts, doesn't try and make me sign up for more Google services, doesn't filter my posts, integrated into Gmail (although the county ISP for schools blocked the talk in Gmail). I also like the simplicity, no fancy colours, just pure messenging and VOIP.
    • KIDCole, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I use GoogleTalk, AIM, Yahoo, and MSN all at once through GAIM.

      http://gaim.sourceforge.net/
    • acoot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I use Gtalk like twice a week... ON THE BROWSER!!! why did they leave my count out? Yesterday I saw a friend online, eg maybe checking her mail , so I decided to IM her on the browser. She had never known that you can do it on the gmail page!! lets just say that we had an interesting conversation.... :)
  • rocke86, on 10/12/2007, -12/+19If they add free voice out to phone networks I would find it a lot more useful.
    • lane.montgomery, on 10/12/2007, -19/+26Yeah, and if iTunes would start offering their music for free, I would find that a lot more useful too. But it won't happen because it doesn't make business sense.
    • Scruffydan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+29If Skype can do it so can google i imagine.
    • Bradl3y, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Skype can do it, but they are either losing money, or have a deal cut with the major providers. It is unlikely that they will offer the free calls for ever. Bait and hook!
    • texpundit, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Actually, Skype was recently bought by eBay...and that was a pretty big infusion of cash.
    • NoLeftTurn, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Why on earth would any company with vision worth a damn get involved in voice over copper? It is such an old technology that is obviously doomed... Whatever investment you put in is undoubtedly going to be worthless in at least 5 years.
    • Securityguru, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@Bradl3y:
      you know of course that skype currently has no advertising and if they add ads then i am sure that the free calling will last.
    • JoeShmoew, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Actually, free skypeout is being disabled when the 2006 year is over. It says it right on the website, and I also use skypeout when I don't feel like going upstairs to use the regular phone.
    • JoeShmoew, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeah it kinda sucks because I use it a lot.
    • easycheez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Thats the future. Before you can make your 'free' phone call you'll have be subjected to a minute long advertisement about Arbys phosphate free chicken sandwhich.
  • jarcoal, on 10/12/2007, -50/+11i can't believe google tricked 3 million people into using that service
    • szembek, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16Best chat program i've used in a while
    • jarcoal, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1i meant the service, not the app
    • Bradl3y, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Google talk is really a great concept, I use it all the time and it accomplishes just what i need, chat with friends and family. It has low marketshare because it doesn't *feature* all of the BIG FONTS and pink colors that the teenage girls like to use.

      The service is great, its a standard format, can be connected to easily from many different applications.
    • jarcoal, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1no it doesn't have big market share because we don't need another client. gaim, trillian, whatever, there are good ones to choose from
  • dshPls, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14Wow..I had always thought that AOL/AIM were the most used IM programs, I use MSN...but I never figured that it has such a lead.
    • iluvatar, on 10/12/2007, -3/+30almost everyone in the US uses AIM, but the rest of the world primarily uses MSN.
    • elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+21It's regional. Most of the United States uses AIM ( Carrying over from when everybody used AOL. ), but most of the rest of the world uses MSN.

      The big problem with a new competitor in this field is that people choose their service based on what their friends use. People won't switch what service they use unless everybody does it at the same time.
    • eric0213, on 10/12/2007, -11/+16MSN has a lead because (at least part in due to) it's pre-installed on most computers. The same arguments that IE has for being the market leader can be made for MSN Messenger.
  • Computer_Kid, on 10/12/2007, -15/+3MSN and Yahoo have more then AIM, didn't see that comming?
    • LLXerxes, on 10/12/2007, -20/+2AIM is most popular among little immature 13 year old kids in the US. Aside from that, everybody uses MSN and Yahoo. Mainly MSN.
      Besides, AIM is utter crap.
    • Wahttehhog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9You see, AIM stands for America Online Instant Messenger. Surely you don't expect to find anyone in Europe, Australia, Japan, etc. using it?
    • Negyxo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Anyone ever been bothered by the fact that AIM is an acronym of an acronym ? A-OL Instant Messenger ...
    • seanlynch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Anyone ever been bothered by the fact that AIM is an acronym of an acronym ?"

      It's not alone. AJAX (Asynchronous XML (eXtensible Markup Language) And Javascript) is as well.

      Nested acronyms are the new recursive acronyms.
    • sik0fewl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@Negyxo

      If you're bothered by that, check out the acronym "Gtk".

      Gtk = GIMP Toolkit = GNU Image Manipulation Project Toolkit = GNU's Not Unix Image Manipulation Project Toolkit.

      And I'm only getting started :).
  • unholy1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13I wish more people would use GTalk / Jabber. It's quite possible to connect GTalk to MSN / AIM / etc.
    See http://www.bigblueball.com/forums/google-talk-news/33739-connect-google-talk-aim-msn-yahoo.html
    • nonokiaboy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Even after adding all my MSN contacts to Gmail via that guide (months ago on digg, but thanks for briging it back up to show a few people that didn't know...)

      I still use MSN more. Actually, I've been on WLM since the beta begun, and have enjoyed the evolution of it along the way. As an Australian, you'd be an idiot to use AIM, as everyone over here is on MSN. Back in the day, ICQ was cool and adfree (say 97-98') most of the people at school I knew used that. But now everyone is about the MSN.

      Strangely enough, I'm now about GAIM, as I have a few contacts I add from USA who are only on the AIM network. It's a shame that GAIM isn't as pretty as WLM... But I've been trying to push over to Ubuntu 99% now, and I find it's best to get used to an instant messenger that can handle multiple accounts I actually use.

      ----

      Either way, after adding the MSN contacts to google talk, it's harder to manage the users, annoying to ask everyone who they are (if you can't remember the email address of the person -- display names do not come up), and seeing nobody I know jumped on the "I love google" bandwagon for IM, GAIM (or any other IM client that does MSN and AIM) is the app for me.
    • redalert, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3If your looking for something that works like gaim but looks nice use trillian. Unfortunately they do not have a linux version
    • rnmrnmrnm, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I use Gtalk and I have transports for gadu/tlen/msn/icq/yahoo/dictionaries/encyclopaediae and there is a dozen of protos with which i can connect from GTalk. When GTalk walks out of the beta shade the network effect will burst and I shall just remove the transports for the dead protocols. The cool thing is that my message history is selectively logged to Google servers and I do not foresee any reason to switch ever again. Correct me if I am wrong. btw Gajim is the perfect emerging messenger for gtalk (still no voice).
    • cremate, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6trillian is bloatware, use gaim.
    • Pogue_Mahone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@ Those who mentioned Gaim,

      I'm using the Windows Gaim client, and the crippling bug for me is the inability to block ICQ spam (invite requests, random messages from random ppl etc). The privacy settings have never worked right for me, and whenever I try to block someone I get the error message saying my friends list is full (currently only has about 10 IDs on it).

      Trillian is bloaty and you have to purchase the pro client to add Jabber client, which is annoying.
    • Securityguru, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1@Pogue_Mahone:

      trillian is very easy to crack and then you can use trillian pro all the time.
    • bennyboy371, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Trillian is pretty annoying at times, but it does have more features than GAIM and runs better than all 3 standard clients on my system.
    • nemoder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The Psi jabber client also works great in Linux, I prefer it over gaim even. You do have to rely on a proxy server for the non-jabber transports but there are plenty of free ones available or you can just run your own.
  • i440, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2Google Talk may be quality software, but they are missing one very, very important thing.

    People who use it! Undoubtedly, that would be most vital thing to the success of given instance of instant messaging softwore.

    Proof? The fact that AIM is so popular. Admittedly, I think it's horrible software, and I /still/ use it.
    • elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -10/+8(You can use AIM and not use that terrible client ( GAIM, Trillian, Miranda are all alternatives)).

      Anyway, Google Talk is NOT quality software. It's very lacking. There is no file send, text can't be styled much. There are no profiles, etc. It's just not that good.

      And one big reason that people will continue to use a bad service is that people only choose their service based on what their friends use, and it makes it very hard for people to switch services.
    • xenoputtss, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9@elnerdo

      I think you just listed every reason why Gtalk is good software and not bloat crap.

      I use Gtalk to talk to everyone, if not its email. If they need to send me a file, then they can email it to me, or if i must then sign on to MSN.

      AIM is pure crap. Not only does it have ads, but it has talking ads! And POPUP ads!
      MSN is nice, although i do feel the newer versions are becomeing to "pretty" focused.
    • Grayfox777, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'm sure they'll make some improvements to Google Talk. After all, it's still beta.
    • MicrowavedH2o, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4yes, I use AIM, as well as yahoo and gtalk simultaneously, in adium!
    • pr0t0, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3
      @elnerdo
      I think your definition and my definition of quality are two different things. You seem to equate quantity (features) to quality. The missing features you mentioned, I have no use for. That's not to dismiss your desire for them...just that I don't think that's an issue of quality. I use GTalk all the time when my friends with Google accounts are online and want to chat a bit. I've only used the voice feature a few times, but found the sound quality comparable to Skype.

      However the missing feature that keeps me from using GTalk for voice is conferencing. I primarily use voip for gaming. For quality, Skype seems to be the way to go, but it's a resource hog and quality goes downhill with more users. We also have a dedicated TeamSpeak server which handles the traffic well and is very light, but the sound quality is horrible.

      Personally, I'm hoping for Google to support conferencing and maybe we can get both sound quality and low resource usage.

  • djork, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4The only reason I used Google Talk was because it was the last IM client to remain open on the network at work. Now we're totally cut off and I can forget about Google Talk alltogether.
    • szembek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2did they block gmail.com? you can use google talk through there.
    • Dracker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I actually use Skype as a chat and instant messenger with some friends. It's also infamous for weaseling through firewalls to the point of it unblockability frustrating sysadmins
      Yeah, Skype, for TEXT. It's actually not bad, but needs more options.
    • DarkSorrow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Just use Gmail.com, my school didnt block Gmail because it a email service, but they didnt know about it intergreted with Gtalk, so lucky i can use it.
    • dodgingcars, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Use Meebo
      www.meebo.com

      That's how I IM at work. :)

  • humblepatience, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10 MSN is popular in other countries like the UK.

    Everyone I know is on AIM.

    I use gtalk within gmail as do several of my friends
    • themarq, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4MSN is popular everywhere but in the USA as I understand it. All my friends use it in Canada and the UK. I used gTalk once or twice, but since all my contacts are on MSN I didn't see any reason to switch over.

      I don't know anyone who uses AIM, I was suprised to learn it was so popular in the US.
    • mmartin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2it IS called AMERICA online. Ahem.. AMERICA.
    • edgardcastro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"AMERICA" comprises the North, Central and South America.
  • BigBaRay, on 10/12/2007, -8/+1 Seen Jaun you've seen em all.
  • baaaan, on 10/12/2007, -13/+4Why is the perfect, ever-mighty Google not allowed to have a product that sucks or was a bad idea or even (gasp!) fails? My $0.02 is that Google Talk missed the mark and would probably have to be revamped with something spectacular before it ever took off in the instant messaging market. If Google isn't willing to make that kind of change, they shouldn't even bother continuing with it.
    • CamperBob, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Because, over and over, Google's pattern is to build a half-assed implementation of whatever seems to be trendy at the moment. In FPS terms, they pwned everybody with their sniper rifle (search), but inexplicably dropped it in favor of a sawed-off shotgun (wild, poorly-aimed attempts at everything else).

      They either need to return to their roots as a best-of-breed search vendor, or they need to find ways to make their also-ran products more attractive to the masses who are responsible for their ad revenue. 3 million users here, 2 million users there won't cut it for long.
  • aarslank, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13google talk is a great service. I use it for overseas conversation almost everyday. No problems, no ads (just yet), very clean interface.
  • likwidtek, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14I love google talk and use it everyday.
  • yidali, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4MSN and Yahoo Are more Internationally used. At my work place yahoo Messenger is used for inter-work communication and is useful for it's message queue (typing a message to a user even if he is offline). AIM is actually Horrible, but I've been using it since elementary school and so have my friends, probably most people feel the same way.
  • Billkamm, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3Google Talk is terrible. The other 3 major IM services are infinitly times better, so this is not unexpected in my eyes.
  • b7j0c, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3despite being a high quality email service, gmail likewise has a paltry marketshare. being first, or at least early, matters. for a service like msn messenger or yahoo mail, its core users will keep using it until it disappoints them in a serious way. it was simple for microsoft and yahoo to up their quotas for users, this key gmail advantage was quickly nullified.
  • ase111, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Admittedly, I'm an AIM guy (not exactly a minority there). But if you don't factor in the usage *within gmail*, then you're factoring out a lot. I've used it loads in gmail, and it's a great feature. I'm glad it's there. Don't think of it's performance as, oh it didn't beat AIM. Think of it as how people are using it alongside AIM.
    • uacheesehead, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's all I can use at work, and I'm finding the same is true for a lot of my friends. Not factoring in Gmail usage is cutting out a large percentage of Google Talk users, I'm sure.
  • cheshire137, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I use GTalk only within Gmail and it's highly convenient because I don't have to open or even have installed any outside apps.
    • NSMike, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I use G-Mail chat because where I work, they inventory your installed software, and chat w/in G-Mail doesn't show up.
  • underthewether, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2google talk has the same problem of any IM service; they are all about the same. so if you are more or less happy with your existing client, why switch? I like that Gtalk has a nice, clean interface, but as noted above it still lacks some of the features of others. If Gtalk could work across various networks and access other services I would rather use its interface than AIM's.
  • compuXP, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8MySpace IM isn't doing any better :P
  • elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3Personally. I use Yahoo, MSN, AIM and GTalk, all in my GAIM.

    I think that though I rarely use Yahoo, Yahoo is the best of the services. It has a really interesting feature that lets you send messages to people while they're not logged in so that they will receive the message as soon as they log in. None of the other services have that, and it comes in handy all the time.
    • Scruffydan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5MSN does that now i belive. (maybe not through gaim though)

      ICQ used to do that many moons ago... it is a very usefull feature.
    • MrKlaw, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Gtalk has that. It's called "Gmail."
  • W00DR0W, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Well first of all they don't advertise talk as aggressively as MSN or Yahoo.

    I mean MSN and Yahoo basically shove it down your throat, I don't even remember installing them yet they're on my computer.
  • dognose, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Well, these numbers are useless because they don't count the people in gmail.

    This is how they've gained a ton of users, and everyone I talk to in Gtalk is in gmail at the time. Millions of people are using gmail and they barely realized they have gtalk.. untill someone messages them! Before you know it, all sorts of people are using it.
    • themarq, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I see your point but I don't think that makes the numbers "useless." Just because Gtalk is a subset of Gmail not every Gmail user is a de facto user of Gtalk anymore than every user of Windows (98, 2000, XP etc..) is a de facto user of MSN Messenger.

      Sure I have the feature installed on my PC, but as someone else said in this thread... that does not make me a user.
    • dognose, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The should count users, not # of people signed on. Counting signons is less useful.
  • tehpunk, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2i've never downlaoded it because noone i know uses it. what would the point be?

  • NickyBatts, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3GUYS, Gchat through the browser will go through your works proxy...

    Yea I know... money.
    • fascfoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Not unless your office blocks gmail as well :-(
  • gd007, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1you have to be first at something unique.
  • luckyjonny, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6When Google hired Sean Egan of Gaim eight months ago I hoped I'd see Google Talk turn into a multi IM client. That's what I'm waiting for - one IM client that'll work with all the features of the networks that it can use (that's regularly updated so it continues to operate in such a fashion, Trillian fans).

    Perhaps I'm just impatient :)
    • quanta88, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No kidding. Just juice up GTalk a bit, give it MSN/AIM compatibility *just like GAIM*, and they're home free.

      Heck, I'd be using GAIM if it was a bit less ugly and took up less screen real estate.
  • Daiken, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2Totally expected. With instant messaging services, people will use what their friends are using. And once you have an established community with a specific service, you don't want to leave, as Elnerdo said. Not to mention Google Talk offers nothing except the brand. Other programs offer many more features. Not to mention, just because Google's plain text website design is popular, doesn't mean the same rule applies to everything else.

    Oh btw, all you USA people need to stop using AIM. Haven't you realized how much it blows? Not to mention, you're supporting AOL through that and they're bad enough.
    • Scruffydan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I disagree. The reason i dont like MSN AIM ICQ is because they are bloated beyond recognition. all i need is a program to CHAT. That is all... now if only i could get more of my Friends to use it
    • shidoshi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1All of you non-USA people need to stop using MSN Messenger. Haven't you realized how much it blows? Not to mention, you're supporting Microsoft through that and they're bad enough.
  • ahawks, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Asside from being a Google fanboy, I see no reason to use Google Talk. AIM & MSN are my primaries, and occasionally yahoo. I don't see why Google Talk even exists, it's just Jabber with some fluff added on.
  • siggyfawn, on 10/12/2007, -11/+4The only thing Google does well is search. End of story.

    Most of these apps (gmail included) started off as pet projects. And it shows.

    Gtalk just isn't that good.
  • noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5So a product that has been out for a very short while isn't doing as well as productas that have been out for years? *GASP* Oh my god stop the presses!

    You know when the car came out the horse was way more popular... what ***** product the car must have been, glad we stuck with horses...
  • scinortcele, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm not terribly surprised by these numbers. Google has a long fight ahead of it if it wants to dominate the instant messenging market. I don't think that Google really wants to fight it though, it's probably happy with people being able to chat with their gmail contacts and couldn't care less whether a lot of people use it otherwise.
  • right75, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2Google Talk is pretty lame. Not that it's complete junk, but it's late to the game. And in this game, timing is everything. AIM has all the market share; only one of my friends uses Google Talk, compared with hundreds of other contacts I had in AIM a long time ago.

    As with other Google apps, they have great features, but they're not new. Aside from Google Maps and the obvious search engine, most Google apps are simply re-makes of what already exists in the marketplace.
  • TheG2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I use GTalk all the time at work, its simple, it's discrete and lightweight, plus I know its not going to mess with our software development. It also lets me know when I have new email (although GMail also sends me an SMS). I think it will gain popularity soon enough, especially seeing as you can use it from any AJAX enabled browser...except Opera..
  • aburd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Literally 95% of the people I talk to on a personal level (not business) use gmail and chat through it. I know people who actively refuse to run a chat client that use gtalk through gmail. Any stat that doesn't include gmail is just ignoring much of the audience.

    And if the client starts to include file transfer, video, and smilies I think it will have a chance of competing with the other big boys.
    • peace, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love gtalk and use it all the time. But can somebody please explain why the hell it takes google so long to implement file transfer while voice call has been implemented since the very first version? Shouldn't file transfer be easier to implement than voice call?
  • jav1231, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Google needs to learn what Microsoft fails to learn: Stick to what you're good at, innovate when you have a true innovation, and don't try to reinvent the wheel when someone else has a much rounder version than you can produce. Google has plenty to offer without going after pointless ventures.
    • Dracker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I disagree. Microsoft makes awesome mice and keyboards. They also have a decent game console on the market.

      Expansion into new fields is not a bad idea. Core strengths should never be neglected, however.
    • DarkSorrow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2you wrong, they are sticking what they good at. Check at Google Labs, most of them are successful. Google Maps, Gmail, google Video, Google Desktop, Gtalk and many google products is working so well.

      Again, they keeping it simple as possible. That what they are famous for, a simple UI. Gmail, Gtalk, Google.com and many thing.

  • rpncreator, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Since Google purchased five percent of AOL, wasn't there discussion to integrate the two services together much like Yahoo! and MSN's cross-protocol messaging?
  • sukimashita, on 10/12/2007, -1/+31. Create a simple (!) efficient free app. with text/audio/video chat working on all major platforms (one codebase, Win/Linux/Mac) with SIP support and offer open doc. for the protocol.
    2. Create a small modern single page website for users to download it.
    3. Digg the thing.
    4. Watch users to leave skype, msn, aim, yahoo and co. for this and it getting the biggest market share very fast.

    If you got some VC left for this, contact me ;)
    • Dracker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+25. Profit!!!

      Oh wait, this isn't slashdot ;)


      I agree with you 100% there. I would instantly switch to an open, portable, full-featured client with filesharing, inline images, voip (SIP) support. But would my friends?

      What if I want to talk to my friends on Aim, IRC, Skype (text)? I would still need to run other apps. Sure, your open app could support IRC and AIM if a *lot* of work is done. But would that defeat the purpose? And nothing but Skype can do Skype.
    • wes121593, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That would be a great idea. Just a little problem:

      If its multi-platform the version for Winblows I mean Windows will be the most feature full, followed by the Mac, followed by Linux unless the maker is dedicated, has a large community or is writen in Java.

      If its written in Java, well we all know Java is slow as hell and is memory hungry
  • zbeast, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I dont think I have ever used the AIM client.
    I use to use ICQ.
    90% of the time I use gtalk.
    then I use msn only because my work uses it.
    I don't use yahoo talk at all.

  • xenoputtss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I think many many people forget how google works. Most of its services that it produces are created by Google employees during their "special time". Google gives every employee X amount of time a week to pursue their own ideas. Google basicly only says "we have the right to attempt to profit off of this work, if we see fit"

    So what if gtalk is only 1% of the market? As far as i know google isn't makeing ANY money off of it yet, or is it attempting to.
    • right75, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Hmm.... "special time".

      That sounds like some sort of Kindergarten activity or some such thing.
  • monsters, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1trillian, with all of them, and using gtalk through the jabber connector, works a champ.
  • MatttK, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1IMing is all about the network. Everybody I know uses MSN without exception (not exclusively, of course). The majority of people I know only use MSN but since everybody I know at least has MSN, I don't think twice about being connected to their network.

    I simply do not even consider any client that cannot connect to the MSN network.
  • Civilizationist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Ill start using when Trillian implements it.
    • aliguana, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2you can use Gtalk with Trillian. The pro version, anyhow
  • IKbot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"The numbers however do not factor in Google Talk's usage within Gmail."

    That's the only chat I use -- gmail based talk.

    Sometimes I use gaim, which feeds in an aim and gtalk.
  • uttles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wasn't there talk early of Gtalk including AIM, MSN, etc the way GAIM does?

    If they could do that, I would use exclusively Gtalk. As it is now, I use Gtalk but not many of my friends do.
  • stickyboot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If google makes Gtalk talk to AIM (and any other IM service for that matter after AIM) without making it ***** like every other corperate offical IM client I will literally ditch trillian.
  • aolgeek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Just to clear up some AIM swirl (yes, I'm probably biased since I work here but hey, it's not as bad as it looks).

    Not happy with the ads? Use AIM Pro (http://aimpro.premiumservices.aol.com/). It's free, no ads, does all of the SIP, video and file sharing and if you want it to run faster, turn off the outlook integration.

    Still not happy with it? Build your own client - heck, create a console app if you really want bare bones (http://developer.aim.com/ - follow the AIM custom client link). There are some restrictions but it was used to build the AIM Pro product.

    Still not happy? Keep an eye on developer.aol.com for more ways to build your own apps using our infrastructure and systems. We'll certainly still build our own but if you don't like the bloated teenie bopper super buddies and other features (I know I personally turn them off) then there are certainly other options.
  • metra23, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Wow the bias is appaling. Anything Google makes just HAS to be a godsend... so anyone criticizing GTalk gets dugg down. C'mon people.. stop making excuses for it's lack of popularity.

    IMO, a successful chat program just needs tabs, a simple, streamlined design, file transfer, and a large user base. (Dead)AIM's already done that. So why switch to GTalk? Just because of the name?
  • Billistic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ugh, GTalk isn't "there" yet.

    Trust me, google will sit and watch competitors and turn around and kick all their asses.

    They'll do something like make users be allowed to upload their own flash animations (without actionscript of course) to allow for really amazing emoticons and on and on.

    While MSN is trying to figure out how to make a buck on board games in MSN google will let users upload their own flash games for free.

    Finally, everyone knows GTalk will be able to connect to all services (like gaim) only it won't suck (like gaim does)

    And before you know it everyone will be using GTalk.
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