Google To Shut Down Google Reader And Other Services On July 1st

Google is just releasing shocker after shocker today. First with the announcement that Andy Rubin is leaving Android, and now with its announcement that Google Reader (and several other of its services) will be shutting down. Google says that usage of Google Reader has been declining year after year, and that it's time to "retire" the service. Users will have until July 1st to export their Reader data via Google Takeout.

This is a shocker to many of the loyal Google Reader users (like me) who use Google Reader to keep up with the latest news from their favorite websites (ahem). Many users have voiced their disappointment through various social media portals, like Twitter and Facebook. Users are now scrambling to find an alternative RSS reader that can live up to the Google service's glory.

Along with Google Reader, services Apps Script, CalDav API, Google Buliding Maker, Google Cloud Connect, Google Voice App for Blackberry, Search API for Shopping, and Snapseed Desktop for Mac and Windows will all be shutting down as well. This is all part of Google's "second Spring cleaning." Along with its first Spring cleaning, Google will have shut down a total of 70 of its features and services.

For those of you who want to save your Google Reader data in order to export it somewhere else, you can head over to this Google Takeout link. You'll just have to sign into your Google Reader account, and verify your password once the archiving is complete. So where will you go next Google Reader users? Feedly? Pulse? Flipboard?

[via Google]