On the second point: So where does it stop? If Google continued to support Reader as a niche product with no scale, no monetisation and a dropping user base sh

On the second point: So where does it stop? If Google continued to support Reader as a niche product with no scale, no monetisation and a dropping user base should it not continue to support other applications as well ? Should Buzz and Wave et al not still be alive and well ? Little pebbles ... and all that. The reason I say you cannot have your cake and eat it to is that NO company, NO matter its size or success, can perpetually continue to experiment at the rate Google does if they intended to support every product they made forever.