Current Events > Gmail hooked us on free storage. Now Google is making us pay

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aki_sora 10/22/19 8:55:32 AM #1:	Google lured billions of consumers to its digital services by offering copious free cloud storage. Thats beginning to change. The Alphabet Inc unit has whittled down some free storage offers in recent months, while prodding more users toward a new paid cloud subscription called Google One. Thats happening as the amount of data people stash online continues to soar. When people hit those caps, they realise they have little choice but to start paying, or risk losing access to emails, photos and personal documents. The cost isnt excessive for most consumers, but at the scale Google operates, this could generate billions of dollars in extra revenue each year for the company. Google didnt respond to an email seeking comment. A big driver of the shift is Gmail. Google shook up the email business when Gmail launched in 2004 with much more free storage than rivals were providing at the time. It boosted the storage cap every couple of years, but in 2013 it stopped. Peoples inboxes kept filling up. And now that some of Googles other free storage offers are shrinking, consumers are beginning to get nasty surprises. "I was merrily using the account and one day I noticed I hadnt received any email since the day before, said Rod Adams, a nuclear energy analyst and retired naval officer. After using Gmail since 2006, hed finally hit his 15GB cap and Google had cut him off. Switching away from Gmail wasnt an easy option because many of his social and business contacts reach him that way. "I just said OK, been free for a long time, now Im paying, Adams said. Other Gmail users arent so happy about the changes. "I am unreasonably sad about using almost all of my free google storage. Felt infinite. Please dont make me pay! I need U gmail googledocs!, one person tweeted in September. Some people have tweeted panicked messages to Google in recent months as warnings about their storage limits hit. One self-described tech enthusiast said hes opened multiple Gmail accounts to avoid bumping up on Googles storage limits. Google has also ended or limited other promotions recently that gave people free cloud storage and helped them avoid Gmail crises. New buyers of Chromebook laptops used to get 100GB at no charge for two years. In May 2019 that was cut to one year. Googles Pixel smartphone, originally launched in 2016, came with free, unlimited photo storage via the companys Photos service. The latest Pixel 4 handset that came out in October still has free photo storage, but the images are compressed now, reducing the quality. More than 11,500 people in a week signed an online petition to bring back the full, free Pixel photos deal. Evgeny Rezunenko, the petition organiser, called Googles change a "hypocritical and cash grabbing move. "Let us remind Google that part of the reason of people choosing Pixel phones over other manufacturers sporting a similar hefty price tag was indeed this service, he wrote. Smartphones dramatically increased the number of photos people take one estimate put the total for 2017 at 1.2 trillion. Those images quickly fill up storage space on handsets, so tech companies, including Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Google, offered cloud storage as an alternative. Now those online memories are piling up, some of these companies are charging users to keep them. --- this is GameFAQs and stating an opinion is a declaration of WAR! <cite>aki_sora posted [p:929087203] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>Google lured billions of consumers to its digital services by offering copious free cloud storage. Thats beginning to change. The Alphabet Inc unit has whittled down some free storage offers in recent months, while prodding more users toward a new paid cloud subscription called Google One. Thats happening as the amount of data people stash online continues to soar. When people hit those caps, they realise they have little choice but to start paying, or risk losing access to emails, photos and personal documents. The cost isnt excessive for most consumers, but at the scale Google operates, this could generate billions of dollars in extra revenue each year for the company. Google didnt respond to an email seeking comment. A big driver of the shift is Gmail. Google shook up the email business when Gmail launched in 2004 with much more free storage than rivals were providing at the time. It boosted the storage cap every couple of years, but in 2013 it stopped. Peoples inboxes kept filling up. And now that some of Googles other free storage offers are shrinking, consumers are beginning to get nasty surprises. "I was merrily using the account and one day I noticed I hadnt received any email since the day before, said Rod Adams, a nuclear energy analyst and retired naval officer. After using Gmail since 2006, hed finally hit his 15GB cap and Google had cut him off. Switching away from Gmail wasnt an easy option because many of his social and business contacts reach him that way. "I just said OK, been free for a long time, now Im paying, Adams said. Other Gmail users arent so happy about the changes. "I am unreasonably sad about using almost all of my free google storage. Felt infinite. Please dont make me pay! I need U gmail googledocs!, one person tweeted in September. Some people have tweeted panicked messages to Google in recent months as warnings about their storage limits hit. One self-described tech enthusiast said hes opened multiple Gmail accounts to avoid bumping up on Googles storage limits. Google has also ended or limited other promotions recently that gave people free cloud storage and helped them avoid Gmail crises. New buyers of Chromebook laptops used to get 100GB at no charge for two years. In May 2019 that was cut to one year. Googles Pixel smartphone, originally launched in 2016, came with free, unlimited photo storage via the companys Photos service. The latest Pixel 4 handset that came out in October still has free photo storage, but the images are compressed now, reducing the quality. More than 11,500 people in a week signed an online petition to bring back the full, free Pixel photos deal. Evgeny Rezunenko, the petition organiser, called Googles change a "hypocritical and cash grabbing move. "Let us remind Google that part of the reason of people choosing Pixel phones over other manufacturers sporting a similar hefty price tag was indeed this service, he wrote. Smartphones dramatically increased the number of photos people take one estimate put the total for 2017 at 1.2 trillion. Those images quickly fill up storage space on handsets, so tech companies, including Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Google, offered cloud storage as an alternative. Now those online memories are piling up, some of these companies are charging users to keep them.</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
aki_sora 10/22/19 8:55:40 AM #2:	Apple has been doing this for several years, building its iCloud storage service into a lucrative recurring revenue stream. When iPhone users get notifications that their devices are full and they should either delete photos and other files or pay more for cloud storage, people often choose the cloud option. In May, Google unveiled Google One, a replacement for its Drive cloud storage service. Theres a free 15GB tier enough room for about 5,000 photos, depending on the resolution. Then it costs US$1.99 a month for 100GB and up from there. This includes several types of files previously stashed in Google Drive, plus Gmail emails and photos and videos. The company ended its Chromebook two-year 100GB free storage offer around the same time, while the Pixel free photo storage deal ended in October with the release of the Pixel 4. Gmail, Drive and Google Photos have more than 1 billion users each. As the company whittles away free storage offers and prompts more people to pay, that creates a potentially huge new revenue stream for the company. If 10% of Gmail users sign up for the new US$1.99 a month Google One subscription, that would generate almost US$2.4bil (RM10.05bil) a year in annual, recurring sales for the company. Adams, the Gmail user, is one of the people contributing to this growing Google business. US$1.99 (RM8.30) a month is a relatively small price to pay to avoid losing his main point of digital contact with the world. "Its worked this long, Adams said. "I didnt want to bother changing the address --- this is GameFAQs and stating an opinion is a declaration of WAR! <cite>aki_sora posted [p:929087206] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>Apple has been doing this for several years, building its iCloud storage service into a lucrative recurring revenue stream. When iPhone users get notifications that their devices are full and they should either delete photos and other files or pay more for cloud storage, people often choose the cloud option. In May, Google unveiled Google One, a replacement for its Drive cloud storage service. Theres a free 15GB tier enough room for about 5,000 photos, depending on the resolution. Then it costs US$1.99 a month for 100GB and up from there. This includes several types of files previously stashed in Google Drive, plus Gmail emails and photos and videos. The company ended its Chromebook two-year 100GB free storage offer around the same time, while the Pixel free photo storage deal ended in October with the release of the Pixel 4. Gmail, Drive and Google Photos have more than 1 billion users each. As the company whittles away free storage offers and prompts more people to pay, that creates a potentially huge new revenue stream for the company. If 10% of Gmail users sign up for the new US$1.99 a month Google One subscription, that would generate almost US$2.4bil (RM10.05bil) a year in annual, recurring sales for the company. Adams, the Gmail user, is one of the people contributing to this growing Google business. US$1.99 (RM8.30) a month is a relatively small price to pay to avoid losing his main point of digital contact with the world. "Its worked this long, Adams said. "I didnt want to bother changing the address</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Jonny2284 10/22/19 9:06:49 AM #3:	Well I for one am shocked at the revelation that they aren't going to give us gigabytes of storage in perpetuity for free. <cite>Jonny2284 posted [p:929087503] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>Well I for one am shocked at the revelation that they aren't going to give us gigabytes of storage in perpetuity for free. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Jagr_68 10/22/19 9:11:37 AM #4:	meh I'll stick with my 2TB drives. Barely used Google Drive except as a middleman delivery for those rare emergency file moments --- New York Rangers [2004-2008] https://imgur.com/BLrKxEd https://psnprofiles.com/Jaromiroquai68 <cite>Jagr_68 posted [p:929087629] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>meh I'll stick with my 2TB drives. Barely used Google Drive except as a middleman delivery for those rare emergency file moments</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
PIITB415 10/22/19 9:13:30 AM #5:	Jagr_68 posted... meh I'll stick with my 2TB drives. Barely used Google Drive except as a middleman delivery for those rare emergency file moments --- https://imgur.com/VawbBVM https://imgur.com/6Si4h <cite>PIITB415 posted [p:929087669] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>Jagr_68 posted...</cite> <quote>meh I'll stick with my 2TB drives. Barely used Google Drive except as a middleman delivery for those rare emergency file moments</quote></quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Veggeta X 10/22/19 9:14:40 AM #6:	I ain't reading all that. --- Don't like it? Don't watch it. It's that simple Dictator of Nice Guys <cite>Veggeta X posted [p:929087695] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>I ain't reading all that.</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Veggeta X 10/22/19 9:15:29 AM #7:	PIITB415 posted... Jagr_68 posted... meh I'll stick with my 2TB drives. Barely used Google Drive except as a middleman delivery for those rare emergency file moments Drives can go bad and boom all of it gone. Cloud storage are backed up without question. --- Don't like it? Don't watch it. It's that simple Dictator of Nice Guys <cite>Veggeta X posted [p:929087717] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>PIITB415 posted...</cite> <quote>Jagr_68 posted...</cite> <quote>meh I'll stick with my 2TB drives. Barely used Google Drive except as a middleman delivery for those rare emergency file moments</quote></quote> Drives can go bad and boom all of it gone. Cloud storage are backed up without question.</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Hornezz 10/22/19 9:17:23 AM #8:	I don't see the big deal here. 15GB is plenty for an email inbox. If you do insist on keeping everything archived, you can download them all and store them yourself. A 16gb usb drive is like $4 these days. Jonny2284 posted... Well I for one am shocked at the revelation that they aren't going to give us gigabytes of storage in perpetuity for free. Well it's not truly free. You pay with your private info that Google sells to advertisers. --- In dentibus anticis frustum magnum spinaciae habes. <cite>Hornezz posted [p:929087775] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>I don't see the big deal here. 15GB is plenty for an email inbox. If you do insist on keeping everything archived, you can download them all and store them yourself. A 16gb usb drive is like $4 these days. Jonny2284 posted... </cite> <quote>Well I for one am shocked at the revelation that they aren't going to give us gigabytes of storage in perpetuity for free.</quote> Well it's not truly free. You pay with your private info that Google sells to advertisers. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
gloBal enemy 10/22/19 9:18:48 AM #9:	Honestly the Google One prices aren't unreasonable and at the end of the day, I'm happy to contribute to a sustainable business model. Dropbox on the other hand introducing arbitrary new limits such as number of devices created a lot of hassle for me, and then charged what I feel are 'excessively' for their cheapest upgrades vs. how much Google/Apple/Microsoft charge. --- If you can understand this, I'm 2/cosC for you. <cite>gloBal enemy posted [p:929087812] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>Honestly the Google One prices aren't unreasonable and at the end of the day, I'm happy to contribute to a sustainable business model. Dropbox on the other hand introducing arbitrary new limits such as number of devices created a lot of hassle for me, and then charged what I feel are 'excessively' for their cheapest upgrades vs. how much Google/Apple/Microsoft charge. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
iPhone_7 10/22/19 9:23:21 AM #10:	There will never be that many emails or photos that I will need to keep around. --- Sig User Logic https://imgur.com/lA5fm7w <cite>iPhone_7 posted [p:929087934] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>There will never be that many emails or photos that I will need to keep around.</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
aki_sora 10/22/19 9:25:27 AM #11:	@Hornezz 15gb in 2019 come on At least give 64gb --- this is GameFAQs and stating an opinion is a declaration of WAR! <cite>aki_sora posted [p:929087996] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>@Hornezz 15gb in 2019 come on At least give 64gb</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
gloBal enemy 10/22/19 9:29:32 AM #12:	iPhone_7 posted... There will never be that many emails or photos that I will need to keep around. But for many who are accustomed to hoarding and following the Google mantra of never deleting anything... it's hard to change those habits! --- If you can understand this, I'm 2/cosC for you. <cite>gloBal enemy posted [p:929088105] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>iPhone_7 posted... </cite> <quote>There will never be that many emails or photos that I will need to keep around.</quote> But for many who are accustomed to hoarding and following the Google mantra of never deleting anything... it's hard to change those habits! </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
cjs28 10/22/19 9:32:39 AM #13:	I'm glad I use offline drives to store stuff, not that I even have much that store except family pictures and games >_> --- Everything is cool. <cite>cjs28 posted [p:929088181] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>I'm glad I use offline drives to store stuff, not that I even have much that store except family pictures and games >_></quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
GiftedACIII 10/22/19 9:36:47 AM #14:	Google also ruined YouTube --- </topic> <cite>GiftedACIII posted [p:929088289] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>Google also ruined YouTube</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
AlecSkorpio 10/22/19 9:39:53 AM #15:	Jagr_68 posted... meh I'll stick with my 2TB drives. Barely used Google Drive except as a middleman delivery for those rare emergency file moments --- Christian Bale profited off the Iraq War <cite>AlecSkorpio posted [p:929088354] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>Jagr_68 posted...</cite> <quote>meh I'll stick with my 2TB drives. Barely used Google Drive except as a middleman delivery for those rare emergency file moments</quote></quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Were_Wyrm 10/22/19 9:41:01 AM #16:	lol cloud storage --- I was a God, Valeria. I found it...beneath me. - Dr. Doom https://imgur.com/FKDXbHs <cite>Were_Wyrm posted [p:929088387] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>lol cloud storage</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
gloBal enemy 10/22/19 9:44:10 AM #17:	Thinking about this further... I'd say Microsoft/OneDrive has the best deal of the lot (Office 365) in terms of what you get for the price, followed by Google One. --- If you can understand this, I'm 2/cosC for you. <cite>gloBal enemy posted [p:929088494] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>Thinking about this further... I'd say Microsoft/OneDrive has the best deal of the lot (Office 365) in terms of what you get for the price, followed by Google One. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
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Shotgunnova 10/23/19 11:57:33 PM #19:	13 GB of Steam sale reminders! --- Take me down from the ridge where the summer ends And watch the city spread out just like a jet's flame <cite>Shotgunnova posted [p:929163745] in Gmail hook... [t:78103078]...</cite> <quote>13 GB of Steam sale reminders!</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
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Current Events > Gmail hooked us on free storage. Now Google is making us pay (+) Yeah! (+)

Current Events > Gmail hooked us on free storage. Now Google is making us pay