Whats the point of Google Wave

Now don't get me wrong, I think Google Wave is amazing, but recently i've been trying to work out what good it is if i can't use it for my emails and have to also sign in to my Gmail account.

The problem is that its obviously such a sophisticated tool, but currently you really need everyone you know to use it in order for it to be useful. Or so i thought.

I'm starting to find some really cool thing to do with Google Waves, and i'm sure that by the time it goes public various hurdles in getting it to integrate with the rest of the Google world will be overcome.

Here's what i found today:
in your main inbox type 'with:public' and you'll see all waves that are open to anyone - search for 'something with:public' and you can see particular subjects that are open to anyone. This brings a world forum into your inbox, which is nice.