Google is killing Latitude!

CB

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-new-google-maps-app-for-smartphones.html

One important change you should know about is that Latitude and check-ins will be retired. These features will no longer be a part of the new Google Maps app, and will stop functioning in older versions by August 9. We understand some of you still want to see your friends and family on a map, which is why we've added location sharing and check-ins to Google+ for Android (coming soon to iOS). More details about Latitude and check-in changes can be found in our help center.

Luckily, it seems that they are moving the basic functionality into G+. Perhaps one day, all google services will be part of G+?

Also: Latitude hasn't worked for me for a couple years now. Maybe this will restore functionality.

Thrax

What is latitude?

NiGHTS

Never really found a clever use for it other than to estimate how long it might take my guest to arrive.

malia

We used it very rarely so I could see where @cannonfodder was deer hunting, cuz "we're in a cornfield by some trees" is not super descriptive in Iowa. But I can't imagine that's a really generalizable function.

Linc

Marco Arment on Twitter:

"Which will Google kill first?
- FeedBurner
- CalDAV
- Gmail IMAP
Tricky to say. Regardless, I bet they’ll all be gone in three years."

Kwitko

Lincoln said:

"Which will Google kill first?

Waze.

UPSLynx

I'm not really sure why this stuff still surprises people. In the many years of Latitude, it's been useful to me once. The fact that @Thrax asked 'what is latitude' is a stark indication of how useful it is for everyone else.

Linc

UPSLynx said:

I'm not really sure why this stuff still surprises people. In the many years of Latitude, it's been useful to me once. The fact that @Thrax asked 'what is latitude' is a stark indication of how useful it is for everyone else.

It surprises me a little you think "usefulness" is Google's criteria for killing things off.

Straight_Man

Um, most very popularly used things have evolved under Google. Goggle is about volume.

UPSLynx

Lincoln said:

It surprises me a little you think "usefulness" is Google's criteria for killing things off.

In the case of Latitude? Absolutely.

I mean, why would they bother putting money into maintaining a service that no one uses, or hell, hardly even know exists? They can put that work into something better, integrate the technology elsewhere and improve their other services.

Google Wave was killed off and many people could have called that service useful, but now that technology has been implemented into plus and Google hangouts and it rules. The Wave technology works significantly better implemented into a social platform like plus. And now, the latitude technology can work better in maps - something people actually use.

Dat useful.

Linc

UPSLynx said:

why would they bother putting money into maintaining a service that no one uses, or hell, hardly even know exists?

You're implying they had anyone working on it, or that it consumed more than a rounding-error's worth of financial resources. I doubt both. Hell, I think even Reader was unstaffed and the cost of running it played little-to-no factor in axing it.

UPSLynx

Even if that were true, why bother dealing with recursive services when you can implement the technology into another, better product? If anything, you can make an argument for simplification of user experience in that case.