Google: See 5 frustrated creations in the company’s 25 years – 09/26/2023 – Tech

Google, which celebrates 25 years this Wednesday (27), redefined how to search for information online and how to navigate the internet, becoming one of the largest digital product companies on the planet and creating diverse solutions for the digital market.

Despite its success, the search giant also had a series of products considered failures, abandoned some time after launch, discontinued and discarded by internet users.

One of the main examples of this are the company’s social networks, all of which were defeated by the absolute expansion of Facebook, currently controlled by Meta. Productivity apps and mixed reality glasses are also on the list.

See some of Google’s frustrated initiatives:

Google Glass

In 2012, the search giant announced Google Glass, smart augmented reality glasses, which would mix virtual content with the real world. The product was seen as a game changer in the market, capable of changing how we interact with everyday life — it would be possible, for example, to translate a sign on the street with glasses instantly.

Despite expectations, the glasses were not popular, especially given the price, which was launched at the time for US$1,500 (R$7,250). System loopholes, as well as potential privacy issues and complaints about Glass’ design caused consumers to turn away from the product.

Google even tried to relaunch the device just for business purposes in 2013, but was unable to keep it on the market. In 2015, it announced the end of sales to consumers.

Google Answers

Launched in 2002, the platform sought to publicize questions and make it easier to obtain answers from researchers. Users submitted their questions online and others responded. However, it was necessary to send a cash reward for each question answered, ranging between US$2.50 (about R$12) and USS 200 (about R$970).

The paid nature of the service left it empty, leading to low usage and closure in 2006. A year earlier, the successful Yahoo! Answers, with the same operating dynamics and free of charge since its debut. The competing platform closed in 2021.

Orkut

The service that marked the search giant’s first attempt at social media was launched in February 2004, named after its creator, Orkut Büyükkökten, one of Google’s engineers. The platform was created for the American public, but it was Brazilians who used it most.

It was the largest social network in the world until 2011, with more than 30 million of its users coming from Brazil. Facebook, however, took the lead in the country and the rest of the world and left Orkut behind, significantly reducing its active users.

With the platform emptying, Google decided to close it in September 2014. The company had claimed to keep the communities online without the possibility of creating new content, as a kind of collection, but completely deleted them three years later.

Google +

The company’s second venture into social media was launched in June 2011, with great anticipation. Promising an improvement in Orkut’s tools and better integration with the search giant’s other systems, Google+ reached 25 million users in one month, according to a company report.

However, the effervescence of Facebook and Instagram at the time made the consolidation of the new network difficult, and the unfriendly design did not bring broad social appeal. The result of this was the emptying of the platform, with little engagement.

Google’s social network was heavily criticized in 2011 for banning the use of pseudonyms or nicknames in place of the name appearing in a document and excluding profiles that did not comply with the rule. The policy that aimed to curb fake accounts ended under accusations of transphobia.

In 2018, the situation of the already weakened network worsened with two security breaches involving connection to third-party applications that exposed sensitive information of more than 50 million internet users. After the controversy, Google permanently closed Google+ in April of the following year.

Google Wave

In mid-2009, Google announced Wave, promising that the service would be the “successor to email.” The idea was to launch a messaging platform that also allowed file sharing and collaboration on documents, as seen on Google Docs platforms.

The application would also have a section for reminders, collaboration on ideas and meetings, with a unified agenda. However, users criticized the launch for the complicated interface, as well as several bugs after launch. The lack of approval made the system of little use, and it was discontinued in 2011.

Today, there are similar tools used in corporate environments, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, which also allow sending messages, creating meetings and establishing collaboration groups at work.