It saddens us that Google has announced it will shut down Google Reader on July 1st. All OPUSfidelis employees use Google Reader and we loved the program. So, like you, we're wondering, “Why?”

Google claims that this is part of their annual “Spring Cleaning” event where they discontinue poorly performing software systems, and Reader was just one of the 70 programs that got the axe. Although Reader was not badly performing per se. It had a dedicated user base and had built up quite a reputation before Google ripped out its social features.  But those features could be put back in.

So what happened here? We think Google is preparing for something much bigger.

Google just doubled one of its key engineering centers.  Glass is done, which means that now, programs need to be expanded and written for Glass.  Doubtless Google needed to axe more than a few programs, but axing 70 different software applications, including a popular one like Google Reader, does not just suggest the company is running itself well. It suggests that Google needs to re-allocate manpower to an even bigger project. We just hope it turns out to be that Google Car people have promised for years.

If you're one of the many affected by the loss of Google Reader, don’t panic. You can use Google Takeout to export your profile and subscriptions to Feedly, which plans to launch a clone service.