Google becomes more focused, closes Google Labs

Could it be? Is Google becoming more focused?

2011-07-14, Google’s CEO Larry page wrote a post on Google+. Quote:

Greater focus has also been another big feature for me this quarter--more wood behind fewer arrows

Last month, for example, we announced that we will be closing Google Health and Google PowerMeter

We’ve also done substantial internal work simplifying and streamlining our product lines

While much of that work has not yet become visible externally, I am very happy with our progress here

Yesterday, as a follow-up, the post “More wood behind fewer arrows” on the Official Google Blog announced that Google Labs will be closed. Quote:

Last week we explained that we’re prioritizing our product efforts [see above]. As part of that process, we’ve decided to wind down Google Labs. 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.
[...]
Update 3:36pm: To clarify: we don't have any plans to change in-product experimentation channels like Gmail Labs or Maps Labs. We'll continue to experiment with new features in each of our products.

Lack of focus has always been my biggest complaint about the company. It’s great to see that change.

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