Google To Kill Off Google Reader, Snapseed For Mac
There has been a lot said about the death of RSS – many no longer view the popular website subscription system as modern, useful, and applicable for today’s content consumer. I personally find such arguments shortsided, obnoxious, and representing the views of a minority of content consumers.
Today, Twitter exploded with the comments of people who disagree – people who still use RSS, and find it very much applicable to the way they consume content. And what was the reason for this outburst of anger and disappointment? Sadly, the death of Google Reader, Google’s free RSS subscription service, was to blame. In an unexpected “spring cleaning” post published on the official Google blog, the company announced that they will be shutting down Google Reader, along with a number of other products (including Snapseed for Mac and PC) on July 1 of 2013.
From the: We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with over the course of the next four months.
Google Reader is the most popular free service by far for storing, syncing, and reading RSS feeds – and it’s about to take a short ride straight into the heart of the sun. As put it, “One of Google’s most useful products. Buried in the rain. It’s unclear what Google’s intentions are. Google Reader takes practically zero resources for Google to run, leaving a wave of confusion as its users try to figure out just what Google has to gain by shutting it down. Perhaps they may attempt to integrate its features into Google+ in yet another attempt to drive users towards their lackluster social network, which, despite their efforts, has utterly failed to take off like Twitter or Facebook.
Google To Kill Off Google Reader Snapseed For Mac
At this point, all we have is speculation – the truth, as usual, remains elusive. For the time being, all we know is this: First, Google Reader was the top service in its category. Second, come July 1st, Google Reader as we know it will be dead as a doornail. Hopefully this will spawn the creation of companies and services to fill the void left by Google Reader with something even better. One can only hope.
RIP, Google Reader. You will be missed – but with any luck (and the power of innovation), you’ll be forgotten quickly, and replaced with far better and more useful services.
This is a shocker to many of the loyal Google Reader users (like me) who use Google Reader to keep up with the latest news from their favorite websites (ahem). Many users have voiced their disappointment through various social media portals, like Twitter and Facebook. Users are now scrambling to find an alternative RSS reader that can live up to the Google service’s glory. Along with Google Reader, services Apps Script, CalDav API, Google Buliding Maker, Google Cloud Connect, Google Voice App for Blackberry, Search API for Shopping, and Snapseed Desktop for Mac and Windows will all be shutting down as well.
This is all part of Google’s “second Spring cleaning.” Along with its first Spring cleaning, will have shut down a total of 70 of its features and services. For those of you who want to save your Google Reader data in order to export it somewhere else, you can head over to this. You’ll just have to sign into your Google Reader account, and verify your password once the archiving is complete.
So where will you go next Google Reader users?