"The reason I don't think that will happen here is Google Reader's pricing model - it's completely gratis to use, with the proviso that your commands and associ

"The reason I don't think that will happen here is Google Reader's pricing model - it's completely gratis to use, with the proviso that your commands and associations are public... As long as new users are using Reader, Google continues to get value from the product. Closing it down wouldn't gain them much." Sarcasm aside, companies sometimes put such an emphasis on "focus" that commitments to users of their non-core products end up falling by the wayside.