Say hello to Google One, the ‘new’ paid cloud storage service from Google
According to a report by research firm ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global cloud storage market size is expected to grow from USD 30.70 billion in 2017 to USD 88.91 billion by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 23.7 percent during the forecast period. Looking to tap into this rising demand, tech giant Google has a “new” offering for users looking to store data online in the cloud. Called Google One, the service is a revamp of the existing paid consumer options on Google Drive and comes with some new payment tiers as well as additional support. In a blog post detailing the announcement, Pavni Diwanji, the new VP of Google One, wrote,
“More and more, we rely on the internet for ways to safely store the things that matter—making life simpler and less cluttered. Over the years, we’ve provided people with easy, secure ways to create, store and share files online, including 15 GB of free space with every Google Account. Thanks to mobile phones, and new file formats like 4K video and high-res photography, people are storing more than ever before.
“That’s why we’re introducing Google One, a simple plan for expanded storage that includes extra benefits to help you get more out of Google. In the next few months, all paid consumer Google Drive storage plans will be upgraded to Google One. This change doesn’t affect G Suite business customers.”
As more and more people “come online” and start consuming and sharing content over the internet, the importance of cloud storage has skyrocketed. Everyday consumers are looking for additional storage beyond the (often low) free offerings of companies in the space, and Google One is a big step by the Mountain View, California-based company. The new service has six different paid storage plans – from $1.99/month for 100 GB to $299.99/month for 30 TB. A new addition to the payment tiers is a 200 GB plan for $2.99, and the 2 TB plan has seen its price drop from $19.99 to $9.99.
Google One also comes with two new features. Users will now get one-tap access to live Google Experts – actual humans, not AI bots – for help with any Google product or service. The service is provided along with every Google One plan, and according to TechCrunch, in the US, these experts will be available 24/7 over chat, email, and phone. In other countries, this lineup of support options may vary, but Google says that its objective is “to provide users with great one-tap support and constantly improve it over time.”
Google has also noted that based on a very common request to make storage plans shareable with family members, Google One users will be able to add up to five family members to their storage plan. According to Pavni, “Everyone gets their own private storage space as well as the additional benefits of Google One”. Google has said that paid Drive users in the US will be upgraded automatically to Google One over the coming months. A global rollout will follow although there is no fixed timeline for it yet. Users interested in knowing when Google One is available in their country can sign up for an update on the Google One website.
Last week, cloud storage company Dropbox posted its first-quarter results as a publicly traded company, beating all Wall Street expectations. The company is only one of several eyeing the cloud storage space, including big names like Apple’s iCloud and Amazon Drive. Against the backdrop of such rapidly rising competition, it will be interesting to see how Google One manages to grab consumer interest, particularly with the help of the bonus features and services on offer.