Programmable Web noticed this last year when Google started charging more for their older APIs. Why kill the API when you can make as much money as you want from its users?

> Google is also providing developers a reason to finally move their maps off of Google Maps V2. Overages for the old version of Google Maps costs $10 per 1,000 map views.

http://blog.programmableweb.com/2011/10/27/google-maps-usage...