7 replies to this topic

[LilBambi]

Google Acquires iOS/Mac Email Client Sparrow, Apps To Remain Available But Development Stopped - TechCrunch

Quote

Google just acquired Sparrow, the company behind the popular iOS and OS X email client. The company’s team, says Sparrow CEO Dom Leca, will be joining Google’s Gmail team “to accomplish a bigger vision – one that we think we can better achieve with Google.” Sparrow raised a small seed round of funding from French VC firm Kima Ventures in 2011 but did not take any other outside investments since. Neither Google nor Sparrow disclosed the financial details of the acquisition.

[Neil P]

Good for them, but I just bought the iOS app not too long ago

[LilBambi]

I hear ya Neil. It sounds like Sparrow is heading for the same status as Thunderbird. No further development, but will provide security updates.

Quote

Sparrow says its applications will continue to be available for the time being, but according to an email the company just sent to its users, the Sparrow team, we won’t see any updates to the apps anytime soon: “”However, as we’ll be busy with new projects at Google, we do not plan to release new features for the Sparrow apps.” Sparrow will, however, continue to “provide support and critical updates to [its] users.”

[LilBambi]

I get tired of the big guys; Google, Microsoft, Apple gobbling up favored apps and services, and then killing them like they are moving/knocking out chess pieces in a game. "Na, Na Na, Na Na ... let's see what my competitor says to that!"

Thanks for nothing Google, Microsoft, Apple...

And then they do the same thing to things they made too. Get us hooked on them and pull the carpet out from under us.

Unbelievable.

[frapper]

LilBambi, on 21 July 2012 - 02:21 PM, said:

I get tired of the big guys; Google, Microsoft, Apple gobbling up favored apps and services, and then killing them like they are moving/knocking out chess pieces in a game. "Na, Na Na, Na Na ... let's see what my competitor says to that!"

Thanks for nothing Google, Microsoft, Apple...

Yup, just like iGoogle. Waste all your time configuring and becoming accustomed to it only to have them announce it's time to move on. Jerk Millennials.

[Neil P]

Well in this case they bought the team working on it, who is going to instead work on Gmail. They aren't just buying them up to kill their product. Gmail is no doubt going to improve because of this in some way. Maybe they'll help make the gmail mobile apps better?

Buying a company like that is a pretty effective way to get smart people working for you.

[ross549]

That is true, and I hope the Gmail apps/mobile sites get better as a result.

Adam

[LilBambi]

Yeah, but they leave Sparrow customers in the mud. Same thing Thunderbird Team is doing with Thunderbird.

There was no reason to leave these programs orphaned. They both have lots of users. Ya, know?