Topic: Google Reader to shut down July 1st

[shingi_70]

[size=1px !important]29[/sizeinShare Google has announced yet another spring cleaning of its various services, and this time around, the company is giving the axe to its Google Reader RSS aggregator. The service, which originally launched back in 2005, will be officially put out to pasture on July 1st, 2013. Reader has gone through a number of iterations, but it had not been significantly updated in a long time. The last time that Google updated the product, it built in integration for the Google+ social network and removed Reader's own native sharing service, causing a bit of a backlash with die hard users. Google is offering users a way to export their Reader content, including lists of users that they follow and starred and liked articles.
In addition to killing off Reader, beginning next week Google is ending support for the Google Voice app for BlackBerry smartphones, instead pointing users toward the HTML5 webapp. The company will no longer sell or update the desktop versions of its Snapseed photo editing app, and a number of other developer APIs are also being killed off.



Lack of usage and a 'focus on fewer products' are to blame
While a number of users will be affected by the end of Google Voice for BlackBerry and the various API services, the biggest blow for many will be the disappearance of Google Reader. Google says it is killing it off because "usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we’re pouring all of our energy into fewer products." As one of the most popular RSS aggregators around, the death of Google Reader could spell doom for the RSS protocol itself, which has seen waning popularity since the rise of social sharing services. Additionally, there is a rather healthy ecosystem of third party apps for mobile devices that use Google Reader to synchronize news articles. These apps will have to find another method of importing articles from the web or just fade off into the sunset when Reader meets its ultimate demise. Either way, we'll be pouring some out for Google Reader come July 1st, and be looking for new way to keep up with our favorite sites on the web in the meantime[/size]

[size=1px !important]
http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/13/4101144/google-shuts-down-reader-rss-aggregation-service
 
 

Yeah this seems like a Bad idea. Google Reader is one of the reasons why there are people in the Google Ecosystem and killing it off I guess to get more people to use currents is a bad idea.
I don't use Google Reader any more as I've moved back to using Pulse Reader. But when I was using feedly or Press they were powered by my Google Reader information. 
I know reader has treated Reader as a problem like a red headed step child but its pretty much ruler in regards to what it does.
 [/size]

[NWR_insanolord]

I think the biggest issue for Google is that most people who use the service do it through a third-party app, where they aren't seeing the ads that support it. I can't remember the last time I used the actual Google Reader site, because I only use various forms of Reeder on Mac and iOS.

[shingi_70]

I think the biggest issue for Google is that most people who use the service do it through a third-party app, where they aren't seeing the ads that support it. I can't remember the last time I used the actual Google Reader site, because I only use various forms of Reeder on Mac and iOS.

The lack of being able to monetize the service is probably the reason why its being shut down. But in all honesty it's Google's own fault for treating the Google Reader Web/ios/android apps like a red headed step child.  I remember when ICS came out and all of google's apps were being updated to not be crap Google Reader got passed up. (to be fair so did Google docs which is pretty important to google)

[TJ Spyke]

Google only shuts down services that see a sharp decline in usage (hell, the majority of the services they shut down are ones most people have never even heard of). I don't know if they could have done more to make Google Reader not see a large drop in usage, but it did see a big drop to the point that Google doesn't find it worth keeping.

[pokepal148]

igoogle is also going down but i think it would make a nice homepage system for chrome

[JasonMaivia]

I've used Google Reader for a long time for podcast updates.  With it being shut down, what's the best alternative left?


Pulse?

[Oblivion]

Flipboard. I use it and I love it better than GReader.

[TJ Spyke]

I've used Google Reader for a long time for podcast updates.  With it being shut down, what's the best alternative left?


Pulse?

iTunes, it's really good for podcasts (even if the podcast isnt in the iTunes store, you can still subscribe to it via iTunes.

[JasonMaivia]

Besides iTunes, what reader works best on desktop/laptop PCs?
(I don't use mobile devices.)

[shingi_70]

Besides iTunes, what reader works best on desktop/laptop PCs?
(I don't use mobile devices.)

iTunes is a about it. Reader and Podcast apps were barley made for the PC begin with and once mobile became big all support was basically dropped for what was left in the PC space.  One of the biggest reasons i'm glad that windows 8 exists is that the OS was built for tablets so I have found two good podcasts apps and it synchs my info between my PCS running Win 8.
Even with Reader applications it's as if these developers have never even heard of PC/MAC desktop applications. The few reader developers that have a desktop version is limted to only a Web App. (I'm looking squarely at you feedly).
I plan to move my podcasts to slapdash and my Reader stuff to the new engine's that should be popping up soon.