Google Stops Forcing G+ Accounts On Gmail Users
Quietly, Google has removed the requirement that all new Gmail sign-ups also sign up for a Google+ account. During the process, you're still given the option to do so, but you're no longer required to do it. It's a sign that Google understands the dynamics at play in the social arena, and if G+ hasn't caught fire by now, it probably isn't going to.
This doesn't necessarily mean that Google+ is near the end; it's very likely that G+ will stick around and be supported for some time to come. It's definitely not a ghost town, and it actually has a very active user base in some respects. But this definitely proves one thing: even a company as huge and successful as Google cannot force its way into a segment where the race has already been won.