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Google to offer schools, students unlimited storage for free
AppId is over the quota
Currying favor with educators and the next generation of workers, Google lifts the 30GB limit on its free Google Apps service for education customers.
Google Apps includes tools for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. Google
Google will soon offer a big perk -- unlimited data storage -- to lure schools and their students to its Google Apps suite of online services.
The Google Drive for Education is an upgrade from the earlier Google Apps for Education service, and like the predecessor, it's free. It will launch "in coming weeks," Ben Schrom, a Google product manager, said in a blog post Tuesday.
Google Apps combines Gmail and Google Calendar with productivity tools including Docs, Slides and Sheets. Files are synchronized across devices with Google Drive, a brand name that seems to be subsuming Google Apps itself. The products are reached via the Web or apps for iOS and Android, and they're closely linked to Chromebook laptops that run Google's Chrome OS operating system.
Currying favor with schools and their students by offering free or discounted products is an age-old practice for technology companies. Today's students become tomorrow's corporate employees, executives, and IT administrators.
Under the current Google Apps for Education, each user gets 30GB of space, with an upgrade to 100GB costing $5 per month per user. Now Google is waiving both the fee and the storage limit.
This matches the unlimited storage in Google Drive for Work, announced in June, which -- by contrast -- isn't free at $10 per user per month.
Offering the free, unlimited storage for students through their schools is a good deal for those students. It's also not a bad idea for Google: since those students eventually will graduate, the unlimited storage isn't something Google has to offer forever.
Google Apps' biggest competitor is Microsoft's Office, which grew to power in the 1990s and still maintains a powerful presence in the market. Google is trying to get along better with the incumbent by letting people open and edit Office-format documents -- something that eases sharing with people who aren't Google Docs users.
It's hard to compare Google Apps' success to that of Microsoft Office since Google doesn't release revenue or user figures. Microsoft has had a bit more to say. Its closest competitor to Google Apps, the Office 365 subscription that includes PC apps and online versions, had more than 5.6 million subscribers for consumer segments in the second quarter. That was an increase of 1 million subscribers from the previous quarter. Microsoft didn't release figures for traditional licensed software sales or for business subscriptions.
Annual subscriptions cost between $70 for Office 365 Personal and $180 for Office 365 Business Premium.
Stephen Shankland Stephen Shankland has been a reporter at CNET since 1998 and covers browsers, Web development, digital photography and new technology. In the past he has been CNET's beat reporter for Google, Yahoo, Linux, open-source software, servers and supercomputers. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. See full bio Apple to offer next iPad in gold -- report
AppId is over the quota
The company is expected to announce new tablets this month and add a gold version to its current silver and gray models.
The gold iPhone 6 Plus James Martin/CNET
Apple is expected to unveil a new iPad this month -- and it may come in a new color this time around.
Apple plans to launch a gold version of its 9.7-inch iPad, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the company's plans. The gold version, which would come with a white face, will flank the silver and gray models already available, according to the report.
Rumors have been swirling for months that Apple is working on the sixth generation of iPads. While major design changes are not expected, the new iPads is rumored to feature Apple's new A8 processor and updated specs.
By offering a gold version of the iPad, Apple would bring its tablets in line with its iPhones. The company's iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 models both come in gold versions. Several other companies, including LG, have also offered gold versions of their mobile devices. What the appetite is for gold models, however, has never been fully revealed by device makers.
In addition to launching a gold iPad, Apple may also boost the size of its upcoming tablet. The company is reportedly working on a model with a 12.9-inch screen. That device would be unveiled next year, according to Bloomberg's sources.
The idea of Apple designing a larger iPad doesn't seem especially outlandish. The company last month launched two new iPhone sizes -- a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. For now, it appears bigger is better at Apple -- at least in smartphones.
Apple did immediately respond to a request for comment.
Don Reisinger Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications. See full bio