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Google Kills Off iPhone-Optimized iGoogle

Without warning or announcement of any kind, Google is redirecting iPhone traffic away from the iPhone-specific version of iGoogle to a unified version instead. iGoogle for the iPhone was first introduced in January of 2008. Why the sudden change?

iPhone users had been granted their very own special version of iGoogle for the past year. It gathered all of a user's content and lumped it into a single column that was easy to navigate and scroll through. It was a nice, customizable way to access your favorite Google services from the iPhone.

Now, iPhone users who go to iGoogle are being directed to the same version of iGoogle that is available to other mobile phone platforms. Since Google has remained mum on the subject, there could be any number of reasons for the change.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog suspects that, "The unification of the mobile iGoogle interface may simply be an effort by Google to level the playing field instead of having the iPhone as a most-favored-device, or it might be part and parcel of the big G's shaving down on costs by eliminating offerings."

I doubt it is really this clear-cut. Google still makes other iPhone-specific applications and features. Why it would choose to kill off just one really doesn't make much sense. Google makes specific versions of applications for other platforms, such as Windows Mobile and BlackBerry OS. Does this mean users of those devices should be expecting change, too?

Does it really cost that much to format Web pages for a specific device? Is Google saving all that much money by serving up the same version of iGoogle to all mobile devices? Seems to me the cost here is negligible, especially since it already was developed a year ago.

Either way you look at it, iGoogle for the iPhone is i-outta here.

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