Google Voice announced!

Google Voice was announced to the world on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 via the official Google blog. At the same time came a rush of press stories, no doubt helped along by Google.  There was even a story on the business aspects of Google Voice from the New York Times.

Highlights:

• The Times sees Google Voice as a threat to Skype
• Times tech star David Pogue said it “will revolutionize telephones“
• TechCrunch calls Google Voice “absolutely compelling“
• Wired sees Google Voice stealing ”some of Skype’s 400 million customers”

What are the worries? Google Voice raises privacy issues, as PC World – in not just one, but two detailed screeds – notes. The second is that it won’t catch on in the way Google seems to hope.

Google has had two huge hits in its short life. The first is Web search – I know, I was at AltaVista when they crushed us – and the second is search-related advertising. 

Google Voice could be the third; Google seems to want it to reach that level. By comparison, Microsoft, the big winner in the PC revolution, has only ever had three huge hits: DOS, Windows and Office.

But to win, Google Voice needs to adapt to very different phone call economics in most other countries. And it needs luck.

After all, success at the highest level requires Google to become the world’s #1 telephony provider. That door happens to be open – but it will still be an amazing accomplishment if Google can walk through it.