Ask Paul: December 22 (Premium)

Happy holidays and thank you, as always, to those who wrote in with questions. A bit shorter than usual this week, but that makes sense. It feels like short holiday week even though it sort of wasn't.
Microsoft ToDo
will asks:
What is going on with Microsoft Todo? Since its launch earlier this year there have been no major updates outside of some tweaks and yet they still continue to update Wunderlist, and I thought this was supposed to be dead!
Good question. I don't have any unique insight into what Microsoft is doing with this particular app. So I asked. This is what I was told:

"As you're already aware, To-Do is still in preview---the team is continuing to collect customer feedback. Nothing more to share at this time, but stay tuned for updates."

So nothing specific, but it does appear that you have something to look forward to.
It might be just me but this seems to be a trend with Microsoft and their applications over the past couple of years. Release a product that is no where 100% feature complete, promise more is coming but never say when/or what these will happen. It feels sort of like a mirage on the road.
I don't rely on any of these apps, so I guess I don't feel impacted by this. But I agree that the lack of predictability is an issue. Mobile apps can be updated at any time and are often updated frequently. But it's tough when you use an app regularly and it needs updates but doesn't get them. And, yeah, you should be concerned about the long-term viability of any of these apps. They do often feel like experiments.

wolters adds:
I know some people use Google Keep for their To-Do list but it just doesn't work well for me. I'd rather use To-Do.
For whatever it's worth, I don't use a to-do app of any kind. But that may be tied to what I do for a living: I do have a "To-do" folder full of articles I intend to write. In fact, there are over 100 articles (mostly article ideas) in there now. But I add some to-do-type items to my calendar, too. For example, a reminder to write the "Games with Gold" post on the first of the month.
Google ecosystem: Hot or not?
wolters asks:
Paul, what are your thoughts on the Google "Ecosystem" as a whole? Is it maturing? Is it an attractive alternative to Microsoft? With my Pixel XL 2, Google Home set up (two mini's, one Home, one Max), Daydream View, YouTube TV, YouTube Red...I seem to be embracing and yes, enjoying it.
This is a big topic.

I wrote a bit about Google's troubling issues with hardware earlier this month, but the ecosystem is much bigger than that. Like Microsoft, Google relies on third party hardware makers to complete the picture, and much of that hardware is pretty great. So, too, are most Google services.

So on that note, I feel like Google has swooped in and usurped Microsoft's position in the consumer market away. And that its ecosystem, overall, is quite healthy.

The consumer market, of course, is pretty diverse. Google, Apple, and Amazon are the big ...