By Ben Khalesi
Publication Date: 2026-02-22 12:00:00
I remember installing my Nest Guard and the feeling that my home was finally smart. It sat there every day doing its job until Google pulled the plug on Nest Secure with a backend update.
Over the years, I’ve reviewed consumer technology, and I’ve seen my share of sunsets. Usually, it’s a niche app or social network. We used to joke about the Google Graveyard — RIP Google Reader, Inbox, and Allo.
But hardware is different. Losing an app is one thing. It’s another to look at something bolted to your wall and realize it’s now dead plastic that doesn’t do anything.
Google, however, still treats hardware like a software beta test. If the growth chart doesn’t meet Google’s expectations, the company shuts it down and moves on.
That’s why I can no longer, in good conscience, tell my readers to spend hundreds of dollars on Google hardware.
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