Microsoft ups free online storage to 5GB
Microsoft's hard drive in the cloud is now a reality.
On Thursday, Microsoft removed the beta tag from the Windows Live SkyDrive service. More importantly, it upped the amount of free online storage to 5GB, giving users roughly the same amount of storage that comes on a new Eee PC. That's up from a recent cap of 1GB.
The service allows for personal folders as well as ones that are shared with a select group of friends, or the public at large. Microsoft is also expanding the service to 38 countries or regions including large swaths of Europe, Central and South America, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan.
I see the launch of SkyDrive as a key piece of Microsoft's effort to build what some think of as a cloud OS--a collection of services that includes identity, messaging, photo management, contacts, as well as storage. Storage is probably the most straightforward piece, but important nonetheless.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.
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"roughly the same amount of storage that came on my first generation iPod." Ummm, okay.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9875714-7.html?tag=bl
And this FUD regarding MSFT just in...French boyscout troop # 401 has switched from Windows to Linux...Today the French police/boyscouts , tomorrow the world ! MSFT is shaking in their boots !
In the context of web 2.0 and Cloud OS SOA'es, a device like that is a very likely candidate for the "terminal" of choice, offering good enough keyboard, screen, and connectivity, and just enough local compute power to connect to the online services and data.
So comparing an online storage service to the local storage of a device likely to be conecting to it makes sense. In fact, if you add the storage of Skydrive to the storage at Hotmail and the storage at a photo-sharing site, plus the storage *not* needed for local apps if you rely on "Cloud" Apps, you'll have the equivalent of a 16 GB storage system. Add-in your own personal secure storage via thumbdrive/SDHC cards and you can double that. Which is about the right magnitude for an on-the run computer built around the idea of a mix between local and remote storage *and* local and remote processing power.
Not sure this is the way the business is going to evolve into, en-masse, but it is not unlikely that a section of the customer base would in fact be well-served by such a product. Especially at EeePC prices of $200-500.
This is how you should report about MS.
Facts only, no opinion.
Thank you.