"Or do you feel that because you've release an API for a free service that lots of people have used that means you are forced forever to support that API?"
Yes. If said API is for an app on a TV which said API vendor is pushing the manufacturers to include, it's incumbent on the API vendor to support it for at least the minimum expected life of the devices intended to use it. For a TV I'd say the consumer expectation is at least 5 years.
Google appear to have given users almost zero notice of the planned/phased shutdown of the "old" API. I wonder how long they gave the manufacturers of smart TVs/BluRay players?
From the point of view of UK and EU legislation, this may be opening a can of worms that many software and tech vendors have managed to avoid for a long time now. That of fitness for use and warranties. If a device no longer functions, or no longer functions as originally intended because some company has decided to switch off a remote server, there may well be a case for redress by the users. Two year warranties are standard but there is also consumer protection in place for when an item fails after the warranty period but inside the "expected lifetime" of the product.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
