Google is discontinuing five of its online properties, citing an increased usage in non-PC platforms for its products concerned.
The search engine giant has discontinued ‘Google Mini’, a search appliance for small enterprises that performs a similar task like its Internet search but for documents stored in a company.
Similarly, iGoogle which allowed users to aggregate content on a Web page (such as news, finance etc.) will be shelved from November next year. The company will discontinue Google Talk Chatback, Google Video and Symbian search app.
“Technology creates tremendous opportunities to improve people’s lives. But to make the most of them, we need to focus or we end up doing too much and not having the impact we strive for,” said Google's Matt Eichner in a blog post.
“So last fall we started a spring clean, and since then we've closed or combined more than 30 products. Today, we're announcing a few more closures,” he added.
A Google India spokesperson declined to comment on the India implication of this development.
This spring clean drive has come about due to Google’s increasing push towards newer platforms such as its Chrome Web browser and Android operating system for mobile phones and tablets.
The company is expecting that Indian mobile Internet users will surge to 300 million in the next three years. iGoogle was launched in 2005, at a time when Web and mobile apps were not personalised and it fitted in with the company’s strategy back then, according to Google.
Google Video, which was launched in 2005 was the company’s effort to enter the field of video search. From August this year, Google Videos will be integrated with YouTube. With regard to its Google Talk Chatback, the blog post said that it had become ‘outdated’. Google Talk Chatback feature allows others to chat with you even if they don't have a Google account.