Rumor has it that Google is planning to offer some form of cloud storage that will rival Dropbox, but can they really pull it off?
Well, yes and no (maybe). On space and price Google already beats the pants off of Dropbox. I’ve been using InSynchq for the last month or so to synch with my Google account. The service works just like Dropbox in terms of keeping files in synch between my local InSynchq folder and my Google account. I able to purchase additional storage space on my Google account. I added 80GB of space for $20/year. That’s a lot cheaper than Dropbox and the synchronization is just as good, if not better than Dropbox. However, there is one challenge Google will have to overcome.
Using an email address and a password, you can set up a free Dropbox account and start swapping files in minutes. Sharing files with non-dropbox users is extremely easy and inviting someone to use Dropbox is just as simple.
Getting started with Google isn’t nearly as easy. Not everyone has a Google account and those who do don’t understand that they can add storage space to their account. Today you have to use a service like InSynchq to synch your files and that means you have to download and install the app, and you have to authorize it to access your Google account, which is a little unnerving for some people since a lot of their important data lives in their Google accounts.
So basically, what Google has to do is create a service makes it easy to sign up, easy to share, and cheap to operate. They already have the price point, but the setup and sharing are yet to be seen. I’m sure Google will want to integrate the service into all their other offerings like Google Docs, Calendar, Gmail, and Google+. Hopefully they won’t require you to have a Google+ account like they do today when sign up for a new Gmail account. Even a hurdle as small as that creates unnecessary friction, which might keeps some non-techies (or Google haters) from using the service.
Personally I say Google-ize everything and give me free wifi everywhere I go.
I’m not scared. What do you think?
Charles McKeever
OpenSourceMarketer.com
