if Microsoft did something like this (which they did in the 1990s), the masses would be at the gates with pitchforks and flaming torches screaming for blood.
No they wouldn't. Some geeks would be pissed off, which they were in the 90s.
When Google behaves like Microsoft did 20 years ago... well, meh, it's Google, they can do that. What's changed?
Nothing. Many of us are pissed off at Google for ruining good products they had. My bugbear is Google Navigate, and the removal of the separate "blue arrow" navigate icon. They totally fucked it up by rolling it up into Maps and changing the interface the way they did. Even to this day I install the old Maps APK on my Android phones.