The consensus seems to be that it isn't about what you get right now, it's about what you might be able to get in 3 or 6 months, or a year, and that the big transformation here isn't what you get (at least right now) but rather how you get it....., via a pauseable updater that could deliver additional software to your machine in the months to come. Here's Improbulus:

Who knows what deals they could do with other companies eager to take advantage of Google Updater to get basic versions of their software onto consumers' PCs - reminiscent to me of Microsoft's arrangements with AOL etc to put their icons onto Windows desktops. If Google can get lots of people to adopt the model of one-click (or at least a few clicks) installation of software in the background over the Net, we may be that much closer to the Web replacing the desktop, or at least being the prime interface to the desktop. I wonder how worried Microsoft are?

and Charlene Li:

The real beauty behind Pack is Updater, the little program that automatically installs and updates the software. (In fact, it’s installing Pack right now as I’m writing this post I Word and posting it via TypePad – the computer hangs every once in a while, which is annoying, but for the most part, I see no degradation in my PC’s performance.) Once installed on the PC, Google has a direct conduit to the user’s desktop, which will be extremely valuable in pushing its own applications (current and future). Think of it as the next front in the portal/search wars to tie in user loyalty.

So I wonder how many people will accept Google's direct conduit to their desktop, and I wonder what extra services and software will be added for distribution this way? What will come along behind the brand loyalty?

Filed in: google, google-pack, webtech