Gmail was itself a spoof on April Fools. I remember that April Fools and thought to myself... well, that could be possible, and I'd love to see Google try an email service of their own...why couldn't they after so many had already achieved it? Even Bill Gates was quoted saying something like "Google are in their Honeymoon phase, but the longest Honeymoon I have ever seen".
An insider friend informed me that Google's 2008 Arpil Fools will be a Beta version of Google TV - a free 24 hour trial of DirectTV service over the Web powered by SlingMedia using a Google-skinned version of SlingPlayer. The most revolutionary part of it all is that DirectTV programs and commercials will be analyzed by Google servers (human labor, I believe) in real-time where within 10 to 15 seconds a sidebar will appear in the SlingPlayer with Google Sponsored Listings (Adwords) that are related to the TV commercials and programs being watched. After Google TV's 24hr ticking clock expires (only when running), users will be given the option to purchase DirectTV programming packages at much lower prices than traditional DirectTV. They will be able to choose any time zone they want by Zip Code or US region. They'll even be given the option to add additional services, like TiVo, with 80GB to 200GB DVR Recorders for $8-15 a month to record their favorite TV programming. These services will all be handled in-house by Google Operations. Each subscriber will have their own DirectTV box connected to a Slingbox (and optional TiVo DVR box) all inside a Google facility, connected to Google's lighting-speed servers.
This will initially be a partnership that involves Google, DirectTV, SlingMedia, and TiVo. But eventually other companies will get involved and additional services will be added to Google TV like Netflix and Blockbuster, and DirectTV competitors like Dish Network, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable. Google will make most of its profits from the Adwords sidebar shown in real-time that provide Sponsored Listings related to the TV programs and commercials being watched by the user. DirectTV will obviously profit from increased user subscriptions and also benefit from the lower costs of setting up large satellites in Google facilities (instead of millions of households). SlingMedia will benefit from the high volume of industrial bare-bones slingboxes sold and software licensed to Google (of course at cheaper, volume pricing). TiVo and it's partners will also benefit from subscriptions and DVR recorder sales. All will benefit from the free press buzzing around this new undertaking. Surprisingly, Yahoo! Video and MSN Video along with YouTube and Google Video will also get added to the Beta software as video sharing services between users. Itunes, Napster, and other music services may also be in the mix as sidebar options whenever a song is played in a TV commercial or program. Google TV will integrate television and Internet services in a revolutionary way. But all in all, it will essentially be offering a remote Slingbox service online, although it will not look that way to its users. Ironically, Google TV's logo will have a "powered by SlingMedia" logo below it. But SlingMedia will be ready to handle the demands of enhanced video compression and streaming, due to its years of research and development on the Slingbox. Google TV will quickly expand to provide live television programming from other countries by setting up Google TV facilities in Europe and Asia. Subscribers will initially consist of techies, business travelers, and American ex-pats who want access to live US television programming. But not surprisingly, the highest number of subscribers will come from Asian countries like as India and China. In the long term, more Americans will also transition to television online as they move frequently to new residences. Though Google TV will start out as an April Fools spoof, it's actual Beta launch may be in the very near future.
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