Well this is definitely uncalled for, Google has just announced that it will be killing Google Reader, among other services, in its annual spring-cleaning process. Launched 8 years back in 2005, Google Reader is a service that makes it easier for people to discover and follow their favorite websites in a single place. Google Reader will be completely killed on 1 July 2013 so time to find an alternative before you turn up for work one day with an empty browser.

According to a blog post by the search giant, they will be retiring Reader so they can concentrate on other products. The official statement is as follows:

We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader.

So what next? You can export your RSS subscriptions using Google Takeout. It copies all your Google Reader data into an XML file and stores information such as list of people that you follow and follows you, items you’ve starred, things that you’ve liked and shared, notes you’ve created, and more. Check out Google Takeout for more information.

Google is also retiring a whole list of other services including App Script Google Building Maker, Google Cloud Connect, Google Voice App for Blackberry, Search API for Shopping, and Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh and Windows.

Are you a Google Reader user? How do you feel about Google killing it off?

(Source: Google)