Google is responsible for giving birth to tools that have changed the entire world: Google search, Gmail, Android and so forth. It should be celebrated! However, Google is also responsible for the death of many of its own products as it re-focuses its priorities: Google Labs, Google Reader and many other less celebrated Google products. It should be charged with murder!
The truth, as always, is less fanatical. Google—after taking over the world with Search—tries to solve problems we had (like with Gmail), problems we don't really have (like with Hangouts replacing Google Talk) and problems it invents (like with Wave, which was admittedly neat).
It dips its toe into everything (what was that Google Evernote killer called again?) and goes with what sticks. Like a person trying every flavor at the ice cream store before ordering an ice cream cone. It's a system that clearly works and is clearly fun, you cannot hate the idea behind Google Glass or not be curious about Google's Internet Balloons if you love technology, but obviously also makes way for product casualties. The good thing is that Google isn't afraid to kill off its own products. The bad thing is that Google isn't afraid to kill off its own products you use.
Larry Kim created this infographic of the Google products that Google has killed. Many of them deserved to die! Some of them didn't. Which ones were you sad to see go and which ones did you not even realize existed? [Wordstream]