> Google knows it's really just a "Lab" experiment.
The change seems happened during the time when Google was switching focus away from "been cool" to profitability. The business reason behind it was probably that Google don't want leak any hit about what they were up to, because a leak may cost a major growth opportunity that is unknown to them when they started the experiment.
So now (to keep the OP's picture) they throw the spaghetti full swing every time. If it sticks to the wall, it's ok (for now), if it doesn't (or not well enough), it gets mopped up, no harm done to the business - except, as the OP wrote, for users who get wary to rely on stuff that may or may not be here next year.
The change seems happened during the time when Google was switching focus away from "been cool" to profitability. The business reason behind it was probably that Google don't want leak any hit about what they were up to, because a leak may cost a major growth opportunity that is unknown to them when they started the experiment.