Google has announced that on July 1, 2013, they will retire Google Reader. In a statement on their blog, Google says:
There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we’re pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience.
Over at The Jeffersoniad, Jason says:
I understand Google moving on from Reader, it’s a service really only used by power users and one that’s seen declining usage, especially since they killed the sharing future in lieu of Google+ integration a while back. Other services like Feedly are stepping up to the plate, but Google Reader’s simplicity and stripped down presentation made following websites as simple as checking your email. It will be missed.
Mashable offers some Google Reader alternatives.
Christina Warren writes:
Thus, a good alternative needs to have a cloud- or web-based component — so that feeds can be accessed from multiple devices or locations — and it needs to be usable with hundreds or thousands of feeds. Finding services or apps that can support both of those requirements is difficult, but we’ve managed to find a few that fit the bill.
And Gizmodo has 8 Google Reader Alternatives That Will Ease Your RSS Pain