Wasn't a big brouhaha about windows phone only supporting Exchange protocol and not the open standard that's used by everyone: CalDAV? Oh, and now Google is discontinuing it! Let's see how much longer Exchange will last...
Sigh, I'm not really sure I trust Google to do the right thing anymore.
http://winsource.com/2013/03/11/caldav-and-carddav-support-f...
So even as Microsoft is working to implement support for Google calendar syncing, Google pulls the rug out. This also leaves iOS users with no Google calendar syncing mechanism.
If Google is open, they have a strange way of showing it.
I hope someone at Microsoft is paying attention. They should just step up to the plate now and announce IMAP + CalDAV + CardDAV support on their services for those who want it. I'd switch in a blink.
As enterprises using Apps upgrade and find that they no longer sync with any of their brand new software, people are going to be very upset - particularly those with egg on their face who sold their company on Google Apps (like yours truly)
Compared to my clients that choose Exchange-friendly services like Office 365, the clients on Google Apps (paid or not) have been feeling a world of pain since the Office 2013 upgrade. I remember reading a post on some official Google blog late last year talking about how they were going to aggressively target and steal Microsoft's purchase in the enterprise. In reality, they're struggling horribly to even retain the customers they've coaxed over, in my experience. Whether they like it or not, ActiveSync is the most pervasive protocol for syncing mail, calendars, and contacts across a wide range of devices. It's a travesty that they're choosing a holy war against Microsoft instead of supporting what would serve their users best.
