Unfortunately for Google, no one is responsible for closing Reader, thus no one will step up to the plate and fix this PR disaster.
There is a clear path to fix this mess, and I guarantee no one at Google has the humility to fix the problem.
If the Google reader closing is mentioned in new Google product announcements a month from now, will you admit this was a PR disaster? How about a year from now?
Google needs to grovel to get their hands around this. By admitting mistake, they can actually redirect the message to something positive.
BTW, I agree with you completely. It is trivial for me to switch services, and I am tired of hearing about it. That being said, Google is eating its own shit sandwich. Google has no one to blame but themselves.
The problem is that journalists tend to follow their leader, and this was written by Om himself. If I were a gambling man, I'd bet you will be proven wrong.