Google Reader axed, seven more services given the boot
updated 08:20 pm EDT, Wed March 13, 2013
Move part of Google's continuing 'spring cleaning' program
Google, in its annual "spring cleaning" effort, has revealed the impending closure of eight services. Programs and offerings affected over the next few months are the GUI builder for Apps Script, depreciation of the CalDAV API, discontinuation of the Google Building Maker, cessation of Google Cloud Connect, support termination for the Google Voice app for BlackBerry, cancellation of the Search API for Shopping, and no more updates provided for the Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh. Most notably, the widely-used RSS app Google Reader is being retired on July 1 as well.
Google admits the Google Reader product has a "loyal following" on the blog noting the service closures. The search engine recommends that "users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months." Users have taken to the web to react to the discontinuation with harsh criticism of the company.
The blog post does mention other Google services that supplant the discontinued ones in most cases. The CalDAV API has been replaced for most developers by the Google Calendar API. Google Building Maker has had most of its functionality replaced by the Google Map Maker. Google Drive is a cross-platform replacement for the Windows-only Google Cloud Connect. No specific replacements have been named for Google Reader, the Search API for Shopping, the Macintosh Snapseed Desktop, or the GUI Builder for Apps Script.
MacNN Staff
Joined: 08-04-01
Dear Google: thanks for killing off that excellent photo-editing software you only JUST bought from Nik Software only to kill it. I'm sure there was nobody -- certainly not the hundreds of thousands of iOS users who love Snapseed for that platform -- that wanted to use that program on their Macs. What a silly idea.
It couldn't have been anything to do with the fact that you were charging $20 for the Mac version versus nothing for the iOS version. I guess we can expect you to shut down Snapseed entirely soon.
If you take a good look at the stuff that's being cut versus the stuff that is being cut because replacements have supplanted it, you get a VERY clear picture of how Google decides what to cut. Hint: it's nothing to do with how popular it is.