Google to Discontinue Google Desktop, Google Pack, Other Products
Mountain View-based search engine giant Google will discontinue several of its products in the near future. Google Desktop, the desktop search software application, is one of the products that will be discontinued. At the start of the month the Google Desktop team announced that Google Desktop will be discontinued as of September 14. The software application will no longer be available for download as of September 14; updates existing users of the application will no longer be released. Support for all the APIs, services, plugins and gadgets associated with Google Desktop will be dropped as well.
The Google Desktop team explained that the application has been downloaded by tens of millions of users during the years it’s been out there. The thing is that the trend is to move from local to web or cloud-based storage and computing. The trend is also to integrated Google Desktop functionality such as local search into most modern operating system. That is a good thing for the users as they get instant access to their personal information – but it also make Google Desktop obsolete. Therefore support for the application will be dropped.
Google Pack, the selection of Google-picked free software application, is another product that will be discontinued. If you go to pack.google.com, you will be presented with the following message from the Google Pack Team:
“Google Pack was introduced in 2005 to make it easy to download and install a package of Google and third-party applications that helped users get the most out of their computers. Google Pack was responsible for fueling 100s of millions of software downloads. A lot has changed in the last six years. Virtually all new applications and services are now on the web. With declining interest in downloadable software, the time has come to discontinue Google Pack, but you’ll still be able to quickly access our partners’ software through the direct links below.”
Google Desktop and Google Pack aren’t the only products Google decided to discontinue. Aardvark, Fast Flip, Google Maps API for Flash, Google Web Security, Image Labeler, Google Notebook, Sidewiki and Subscribed Links will be discontinued as well. All these products will be shut down in the next few months.
The Google Desktop team explained that the application has been downloaded by tens of millions of users during the years it’s been out there. The thing is that the trend is to move from local to web or cloud-based storage and computing. The trend is also to integrated Google Desktop functionality such as local search into most modern operating system. That is a good thing for the users as they get instant access to their personal information – but it also make Google Desktop obsolete. Therefore support for the application will be dropped.
Google Pack, the selection of Google-picked free software application, is another product that will be discontinued. If you go to pack.google.com, you will be presented with the following message from the Google Pack Team:
“Google Pack was introduced in 2005 to make it easy to download and install a package of Google and third-party applications that helped users get the most out of their computers. Google Pack was responsible for fueling 100s of millions of software downloads. A lot has changed in the last six years. Virtually all new applications and services are now on the web. With declining interest in downloadable software, the time has come to discontinue Google Pack, but you’ll still be able to quickly access our partners’ software through the direct links below.”
Google Desktop and Google Pack aren’t the only products Google decided to discontinue. Aardvark, Fast Flip, Google Maps API for Flash, Google Web Security, Image Labeler, Google Notebook, Sidewiki and Subscribed Links will be discontinued as well. All these products will be shut down in the next few months.
