Long time VP of product for Google and recently appointed head of Google+, Bradley Horowitz, announced today via the network that he is beginning to split the social network’s elements apart, starting with two separate products: Photos and Streams.

Curiously, he doesn't mention G+ at all in this announcement, which could possibly suggest the plan to either kill off or dramatically change the brand following both the negativity towards privacy concerns and a lack of active users.

Next target, according to Senior VP Sundar Pichai is what to do with Google+’s Hangout service. It’s a strong enough tool to survive on its own, which is being hampered by being integrated with the rest of Google’s services.

Whatever happens, it’s clear that their idea of a social network is altering. What do you think?