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I used to be a Google fanboy. Search has always been great, always getting better. When Google launched Gmail in March of 2004, I was positively hooked. When the it’s stock (NASDAQ GOOG) just wouldn’t go down, in fact, shot up to 600 from an opening count of 70 USD, it floored me. And when Google started taking over, well, everything, I was happy because it was just awesome.

However, (the bolded word being subject of this post), I’m starting to have issues with Google that I hate to express, but feel I must. The bone I have to pick with Google is threefold: information management, corporate expansion and development, and design. I’ll actually begin with the latter point, design.

Recently, Google changed it’s interface. Some of the design ideas released by Google’s Senior UX Designer Jon Wiley were positively terrible, though not without merit, I admit. However, what’s up with iGoogle? It’s looking and behaving worse lately. What’s up with it’s classic homepage? The buttons and search-bar are almost Windows XP-style now. Windows XP. Furthermore, Google fails to maintain many of it’s help files any longer, except for the new services; but for things like basic search? Outdated information and 90s design concepts are scattered throughout. And most of all, my once favourite minimalist company is getting slightly more cluttered in how they design stuff. I feel as if this could lead down a bad path.

And then there’s it’s information management. To be frank, Google is simply getting too cluttered with irrelevant information. It’s supposed to enhance search results with your history, but have you tried conducting a search without being signed in to your account lately? Likely it doesn’t return the results you’d like it to. Google also has privacy concerns now where it didn’t previously: it’s easy for someone to find all the information they need. Not in search, that’s not what I’m talking about— it’s always been easy to search someone— but people have had control over what appears in search just via basic caution. No, what I’m referring to is records. Google has got all of everyone records about everything, and that can be easily subpoenead or even requested by anyone from a government agency to a business. And given Google’s recent bouts with hackers (multiple successful attempts from China, at what, we still aren’t sure), who’s to say my information is safe?

Lastly, I’m concerned with their corporate expansion and development. Android phone? Talk about left field. Also, with Google’s recent purchase of Bumptop (see my earlier post), it almost makes me think they’re considering competing with iPad, not just iPhone, too. What is an information management and online services company doing meddling with hardware companies, much less Apple? Moreover, Google is buying up stuff it didn’t make at an accelerating rate. Look at all of the stuff it’s bought recently! I say, Google, hire some good designers and developers and make your own stuff. We wouldn’t have to go trust-busting now, would we?

Anyways, that’s my rant on why Google isn’t my favourite entity anymore. If you disagree with anything I said, tweet me. And if the only search engine you’ve ever used is Bing, which is drastically more evil than Google (rant to come soon), I guess you’re just not old enough to remember the glory days. 

PS: In unrelated affairs, my good friend Adrian Kenny recently had a PS3 that broke, and his iPod touch is first generation and slowly dying. He is one of the coolest graphic designers I know and he deserves support. Visit his site (click on his name above), read his message to you, and consider what he has to say. Moreover, his blog is located at blog.adriankenny.com. Thank you for helping out.

EDIT: How in the world does Apple’s spellcheck not recognize “Google’s” as a word yet? That’s doubly pathetic.

EDIT II: Sorry for the negativism. I’m actually very happy at the moment, having seen Iron Man 2 recently with some friends. It was great!