Discontinuing Reader was one thing, but there are certain services that Google couldn't discontinue without it irreparably damaging the company among either con

Discontinuing Reader was one thing, but there are certain services that Google couldn't discontinue without it irreparably damaging the company among either consumers or business. Reader was close to being that, but at the end of the day no ones business depended on Google Reader, and mainstream consumers barely read Google News. Reader wasn't mainstream. App Engine? If Google ever wanted to discontinue it, they would likely spin it off in some way. A company like Rackspace would surely be glad to take it off their hands.