Last Friday, Google officially launched Google Pack.  This is essentially a bundling of a whole load of Google sofware (Toolbar, Picasa, Desktop, Talk, Earth, and Screensaver) along with bits and pieces of non-Google software (Firefox, Norton Antivirus, Ad-Aware, Trillian, Adobe Reader, RealPlayer, and some GalleryPlayer HD images).  These all come with the Google Pack software, so that through one manager all of the programs are downloaded, installed, and kept up to date.  It’s quite a good idea, and makes owning the internet essentials – and keeping them updated – easy for even the most basic internet user.

More than this, though, it puts Google in a unique position.  Presumably, when they release new software – be that Web Accelerator, or some form of Office software, or whatever – Google Pack will present the user with some kind of a pop-up window, asking if they’d like to install this new, free software.  And a lot of people will just click ‘yes’, and Google Pack will go away and get it all installed for you.  Hence, take up of Google software, and therefore Google’s prescence on the desktop, increases.

It also allows Google to form strategic partnerships with any number of companies – what agreement was necessary for RealPlayer, for example, to be installed by default for everyone who downloads Google Pack?  Google could make an absolute fortune through this – as long as enough people download Google Pack, which they almost certainly will since it provides such a good package, Google has a hand-hold on millions of users’ desktops. And the user can be assured that they will always have the best software, fully updated, free of charge.

It is, quite simply, everything Windows Update could have been, if Microsoft had a bit more nous.