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Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

9to5google.com

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Re: Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

#71

Post by mcrittenden »

SwellJoe wrote: post #40
alphabettsy wrote: post #10

Hangouts and now this? Their track-record is one of the reasons I don’t adopt personally or recommenced new Google services to friends and family.

People use Hangouts. No one I know has ever used Allo. It hasn't even come up in conversation, even when they were marketing it. Hangouts, on the other hand, I get meeting requests all the time that include a Hangouts link. It's a quite popular technology...in my, admittedly limited, experience, it is a leading option, if not the leading option, in the "let's schedule an online meeting" sort of way. So, I have no ide…

I think you're confusing Hangouts with Meet? Meet isn't going away as far as I know.

Re: Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

#72

Post by scaleout1 »

8ytecoder wrote: post #45

Google feels like a company that's run by a bunch of engineers/product managers instead of a product leader with a cohesive vision. Anyone with an iPhone would understand what iMessages is and what FaceTime is. What is what and what you can do with each. Now explain it to me Google - what's your vision? (Or is it "target end state" in engineering speak?) As customers we want (at most) one chat application and one vid…

wait till they break Google voice into Google talking and Google Listening

Re: Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

#73

Post by harryf »

8ytecoder wrote: post #45

Google feels like a company that's run by a bunch of engineers/product managers instead of a product leader with a cohesive vision. Anyone with an iPhone would understand what iMessages is and what FaceTime is. What is what and what you can do with each. Now explain it to me Google - what's your vision? (Or is it "target end state" in engineering speak?) As customers we want (at most) one chat application and one vid…

It’s 1.0-ism. Engineers are apparently most positively rewarded at google for being part of the first public release of a product but there’s little reward for then sticking around for 1.1+ I’ve heard Google PMs complaining how their engineering team mostly bailed after 1.0 to the point where it becomes hard to get even basic stuff like i18n done.

Re: Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

#74

Post by riku_iki »

drewg123 wrote: post #41
xnx wrote: post #20

I complain about Google having too many competing/overlapping products, so I can't really complain when they close/merge them. The best time to shutdown Allo was before it launched, the second best time is now.

From an Xoogler's perspective, the launches are all about the promos. Eg, just think about all those engineers who would not have gotten a promotion because then they would not have had a product launch in their promo packet.

But there should be some VP which will be accountable for spent budget on dead product..

Re: Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

#75

Post by tinus_hn »

ams6110 wrote: post #66
8ytecoder wrote: post #45

Google feels like a company that's run by a bunch of engineers/product managers instead of a product leader with a cohesive vision. Anyone with an iPhone would understand what iMessages is and what FaceTime is. What is what and what you can do with each. Now explain it to me Google - what's your vision? (Or is it "target end state" in engineering speak?) As customers we want (at most) one chat application and one vid…

I'd put Google Drive/Docs/Sheets in there as home runs. They just keep getting better and better. I hardly ever think about using a desktop office suite any more. Remember when collaborating on a document meant emailing copies and revisions back and forth to each other? Unthinkable now. But Allo? My thought was "oh, another Google product I never heard of is shutting down."

They have to, otherwise Microsoft will trample them with their SharePoint/Office online offering.

Re: Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

#77

Post by harryf »

londons_explore wrote: post #62
8ytecoder wrote: post #45

Google feels like a company that's run by a bunch of engineers/product managers instead of a product leader with a cohesive vision. Anyone with an iPhone would understand what iMessages is and what FaceTime is. What is what and what you can do with each. Now explain it to me Google - what's your vision? (Or is it "target end state" in engineering speak?) As customers we want (at most) one chat application and one vid…

The lead of Maps spends a large proportion of his time listening to user feedback (some of it even here on HN!). I suspect that's a big part of the reason for the higher quality product.

Is that still Bernie Seefeld ?

Re: Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

#78

Post by just_myles »

8ytecoder wrote: post #45

Google feels like a company that's run by a bunch of engineers/product managers instead of a product leader with a cohesive vision. Anyone with an iPhone would understand what iMessages is and what FaceTime is. What is what and what you can do with each. Now explain it to me Google - what's your vision? (Or is it "target end state" in engineering speak?) As customers we want (at most) one chat application and one vid…

Totally in agreement. Same can be said about their hardware lines. From nexus phones to chromebooks. Terrible.

I was a hangouts guy. That's what has me worried about their cloud services. Are they going to suddenly just add and remove things without any real notice?

Re: Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

#79

Post by secabeen »

burger_moon wrote: post #33

Does anyone have a good alternative for someone who is not tech savvy at all and on an Android phone? I set this up on my mom’s phone because she doesn’t get good enough cell reception at or around her place so an internet based messaging system works best. She is in very poor health and can barely hold the phone so something that doesn’t have a lot of small icons and in general just easy to setup and use would be gr…

Setup a family slack. Works well, full media support. Options for bringing other people in and having family connection there, or you can just DM each other.

Re: Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon

#80

Post by Analemma_ »

ams6110 wrote: post #66
8ytecoder wrote: post #45

Google feels like a company that's run by a bunch of engineers/product managers instead of a product leader with a cohesive vision. Anyone with an iPhone would understand what iMessages is and what FaceTime is. What is what and what you can do with each. Now explain it to me Google - what's your vision? (Or is it "target end state" in engineering speak?) As customers we want (at most) one chat application and one vid…

I'd put Google Drive/Docs/Sheets in there as home runs. They just keep getting better and better. I hardly ever think about using a desktop office suite any more. Remember when collaborating on a document meant emailing copies and revisions back and forth to each other? Unthinkable now. But Allo? My thought was "oh, another Google product I never heard of is shutting down."

I think that helps explain the puzzle. Drive/Docs/Sheets probably do have a strong mandate from senior leadership and a coherent vision: beat Microsoft. So these products have effort and focus that most Google offerings lack.
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