Skip to main content

35 percent of Google’s products are shut down

googlehatchet
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A new study has shown that more than a third of Google’s product line over the years has been shut down. According to Gwern.net’s immensely comprehensive study, a whopping 35 percent of Google products and services are shut down.

Gwern’s analysts tried to identify closure patterns, and gain a little bit of foresight into Google’s upcoming product line. And while they were shocked to find that one in three of Google’s ventures had folded, they did find a few commonalities between Google’s more successful ventures. Google’s ad products, more often than not, find their niche and stand the test of time. Most of its other directly profitable services work out pretty well, too. All told, totally in-house projects seem to get the team’s support most of the time. 

That ends up being bad news if you’re one of Google’s acquisitions, though. The 35 percent of the company’s products that fail were mostly picked up from other developers and publishers. Their social endeavors don’t fare too well either, but with the company’s ironclad adherence to Google Glass’s mandatory connection with Google+, don’t expect its flagship social network to be folding any time soon.

Google Reader is also shutting down this summer, further demonstrating the company’s faith in allowing its products to retire. The thing of it is, that in this industry, hardware and software is always being redesigned or repackaged, so it’s hard to fault the company for moving on, but it isn’t really offering loyal Google Reader users any alternatives. Product longevity isn’t as much of a factor for consumers as it once was (or Google, it would seem), but leaving the public to find themselves a reliable and trustworthy new alternative seems a little cold, no?

Editors' Recommendations

Saul Berenbaum
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saul Berenbaum has been writing film and gaming reviews since college. Recently, he contributed to HardcoreDroid. Now he…
How to add your ID or driver’s license to Google Wallet
The new Google Wallet app running on an Android phone.

Between credit cards, store loyalty cards, and identification cards, our wallets are on the beefier side these days — and it makes digging through them to find the one correct card a real chore. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just show someone or scan your phone instead?

Well, now you can if you have an Android smartphone. Following on from Apple, Google Wallet now allows you to upload your driver's license or state ID into your Google Wallet account, giving you a quick and easy way to show your credentials when needed. If you live in certain states in the U.S., that is.

Read more
Best Google Pixel 8 Pro deals: Save $1,000 on the best Pixel phone
The Google Photos app running on a Google Pixel 8 Pro.

For the best phone deals relating to the Google Pixel 8 Pro, keep reading. Appreciating what a highly sought-after phone it continues to be, we’ve tracked down all the best Google Pixel 8 Pro deals currently available. Scroll down and you’ll find all the best prices along with everything you could want to know about the Google Pixel 8 Pro in case you still haven’t fully committed to buying one.
Today's best Google Pixel 8 Pro deals
The best Google Pixel 8 Pro deals are fairly varied. That means you can buy it unlocked at a great discount, but you can also trade in your old phone and acquire the Google Pixel 8 Pro at a super low price when you commit to a cell phone provider. Whatever feels like the best idea for you, take a look below at the highlights.

: Get the Google Pixel 8 Pro for $200 off and pay $799 instead of $999.
: Trade in a phone for up to $325 off or pay $799 instead of $999 for the phone.
: Get $1,040 trade-in credit over 36 months depending on the phone you trade in.
: Get up to $1,000 of trade-in credit when you trade in a select phone.
: Get up to $800 off via phone trade-in paid across 24 monthly bill credits.
: Get up to $250 off with a phone trade-in.
: Save $100 when you trade in your phone at the same time.

Read more
How to use Google’s Gemini AI app on your Android phone
How to use Gemini on your Android.based device.

Google's collaboration AI tool, Bard, has changed its name and is now known as Gemini. The tool is also now available as an app on the Google Play Store, meaning it's easier than ever to chat with Google's AI assistant on your Android phone.

Read more