It started out as a pretty interesting idea: a camera that would just automatically capture “interesting” clips as you go about an activity or an event or just an ordinary day with kids or pets or friends. But the novelty eventually wore off and sales probably went down. Now Google is officially discontinuing the sales and production of Google Clips, which was once a promising new product for the company but is now relegated to the growing graveyard of former Google products.
If it’s the first time you’re hearing of Google Clips, it was a small camera that wanted to “automatically capture and preserve life’s most memorable moments”. It was meant to either be placed on a corner with a good view of the room or for you to wear it or carry it around. Using AI and machine learning, it will automatically capture random moments it believes should be interesting or memorable for you.
You could then browse through the 7-second clips and choose which ones to save and share. However, there arose some issues about the device itself and the images or videos it captured. Some people said they were uncomfortable interacting with people who were wearing or holding a camera. Some users said the clips captured were not interesting at all. And since it doesn’t have audio, you’re basically just capturing GIFs.
The product page of Google Clips is still up on the Google Store website for some reason. But if you click on it, it will just refer you to other products that are still available although may not be necessarily connected to the camera.
With the discontinuation of both the Daydream VR and now Google Clips, it looks like Google is cleaning house with products that may not be that useful or sellable anymore. Let’s wait for which one will get the cut next.
