Google Cemetery of Ideas. Here are the biggest failures of the technological giant [TOPtech]

Google Stadia (2019 – 2023)

Google Stadia was supposed to be a service that would completely revolutionize the video game industry. Why buy a console or a computer with a hell of an expensive graphics card when we can play our favorite game via the cloud and on any device?

However, Stadia players did not love it. And this was mainly due to the fact that, in addition to paying a monthly subscription, users of the service had to additionally purchase access to individual games that were added to the platform.

Initially, Google claimed that despite little interest in Stadia, the company would continue to develop its console killer. However, the giant did not keep its word and in September 2022 – less than three years after the launch of the service – decided to close it.

Google Glass (2012 – 2015)

In 2012, a company from Mountain View presented futuristic glasses, which in the near future were to replace the smartphone. Google Glass used bone conduction technology and augmented reality, and communicated with the device via voice commands.

Unfortunately, the project soon ended its life. The glasses turned out to be too expensive, had a bad battery, and their software was riddled with bugs. The nail in the coffin, however, turned out to be the issue of privacy.

Google Glass had a built-in camera and theoretically allowed us to record other people without their knowledge. For this reason, in the United States, the owners of some bars and restaurants have introduced a ban on people using Google glasses. Eventually, the company ended the sale of the device in 2015. For this reason, in the US, the owners of some bars and restaurants have introduced a ban on entry for people using Google glasses.

Eventually, the company ended the sale of the device in 2015.

Google+ (2011 – 2019)

In 2011, Google Plus debuted on the web, which was supposed to be a direct competitor to Facebook. In terms of functionality, both services did not differ much from each other, although Google Plus stood out from its rival with a more original and fresh interface.

Initially, the company from Mountain View boasted of a dynamic increase in the number of users, which was largely the result of integrating Google Plus with other popular services, such as Gmail.

Later, the development of the service stopped, and Plus began to resemble an internet graveyard. In addition, there was a scandal related to a vulnerability in the service’s security, which the Mountain View company had been carefully hiding from users for a long time.

Ultimately, Google Plus was shut down in 2019. And today hardly anyone misses him.

Nexus Q (2012 – 2013)

Nexus Q, like Google Glass, was presented in 2012. The multimedia player, which looked like a bowling ball, allowed to stream music and video from services such as YouTube or Google Play Music. Nexus Q, however, never hit the store shelves.

The first serious glitch was the price of the device. Google demanded as much as $299 for a player that did not even have built-in speakers.

What was also criticized was the mediocre quality of streaming and severely limited functionalities of the equipment. Nexus Q worked only with services … Google. Fortunately, the successor of the Nexus, i.e. the Chromecast, did much better on the market.

Google Buzz (2010 – 2011)

Google has no luck with instant messaging, the most glaring example of which is Google Buzz. Launched in 2011, the service was supposed to be a bit of Twitter, a bit of Messenger, and a bit of Slack’s progenitor. In the end, however, it turned out to be a complete failure.

To make matters worse, the Mountain View giant forcibly integrated Google Buzz with Gmail and transferred information about users between these platforms without their consent.

As a result, the company had to face a lawsuit that ended with the payment of damages in the amount of USD 8.5 million and the closure of the website only 18 months after its launch.