Google Labs Announces Looming Shutdown
Google has announced that it will "wind down" Google Labs, the company's testbed for new features and services, while it focuses on other areas.
"While we’ve learned a huge amount by launching very early prototypes in Labs, we believe that greater focus is crucial if we’re to make the most of the extraordinary opportunities ahead," wrote Bill Coughran, Google's senior vice president for research and systems infrastructure, on the Official Google Blog.
Google Labs has been responsible for many quintessential Google services, including Gmail, Docs and Calendar. Google will continue to test new features in individual areas, such as Gmail Labs and Maps Labs, but the main Google Labs entity will be no more.
All of Google's products will continue to function normally. In fact, with the launch of Google+ , the company has shown how it can develop and field test products without the need for Google Labs.
