Some of it is probably a bit of me-too-ism, but keep in mind that both Microsoft and Google are huge companies with a large number of people working semi-autonomously. Sometimes a team of a half dozen or so has been working on something just like it for three years on-and-off and, having been beaten to the punch, they go ahead and launch whatever they have rather than let it go cold.
It's not terribly surprising that some of these ventures are short-lived and half-baked; there's a reason they hadn't launched earlier. But once you've spent three goddamn years of your life on something, you might as well try a Hail Mary before the project is shut down.
It's usually a knee-jerk reaction to not being able to buy the original. Big and hairy company threats small company that they'll "crush them" if they refuse an acquisition offer, small company actually refuses, big and hairy company rushes to launch competitor just to follow through, even if it makes little business sense, big and hairy company knock off fails to get traction, small company thrives, and everyone forgets.
Unlike Microsoft, who had the will and executive ability to expand to new territories and destroy competitors, Google has a remarkable record of half-baked works and giving up. it's a joke.
Google has, very successfully I would argue, expanded into mobile. They bought a mobile OS and turned it into the global market leader. This is the biggest change in consumer technology since the web and they did not miss it.
There is a very serious benefit to recognizing a losing hand and folding before you're in too deep. You see a weakness in Google's execution, and I'd agree in some places, but there is some wisdom in closing up failed experiments rather than doubling down as Microsoft has done with several of their investments in the past.
I have zero problem with the fail-fast, fail-earlier strategy and attitude. ultimately it's business. there is no point to continue if it's obviously not going to work. there is a catch though: do fail because of innovation (crazy, big ideas). I'd argue all these experiments, except gmail/map/wave, have 0 substance. most of them are crappy implemented, poor planed cat projects.
