Google Photos hooked users with free unlimited storage. Now that's changing

Think about how many VC-backed companies offer services at discounted rates today in hopes of being able charge higher rates for that service in the future. This is endemic to tech generally, not just Google.

I also think syncing to one of those is the best solution for most consumers, even though its not a true backup and it runs the risk of account closure for uploading forbidden content.

That sure did change and within the classic 5-year business plan model as well.

>Most of Google’s product strategy has been bait & switch, and I say that with all due to respect to the engineers. It’s the leaders who make these decisions

Yes, though how many where planned and how many organicly just ended up that way from a business perspective.

We are all used to the marketing budget phase of companies, initially offering great services and deals, just to get a foothold and then after that period, change bit by bit with the niceties eroded away.

Sad to say that many company does this, just marketing wise it feels less obvious as they are initially in effect using the customer base as the marketing with word of mouth and as people love free, that works out. So down the line many will feel put out by such changes, some will stay with it be that economical evaluation or hassles in moving (not everybody a tech head), so a complacency lock-in happens with so many.

Personally the straw with google came from the endless robotic termination stories having all the services pulled for one misinterpreted action upon on another service they just happen to run. But more so the way they handled Google Music, forcing those who paid for content to be shafted towards a platform just forcing you to pay again as some subscription model to access features you had before and would expect. With that, faith in many things Google does will be tainted, however good intention they seem, the worst case down the line thoughts will stick out way more from all the past instances now.

That all said, I do get it, companies operate to make profit, otherwise they are not a company but a charity. Still, false advertising needs to catchup with the digital age and T&C needs some form of regulation as currently it's still a bit of a mess. After all, people brought Google Phones, sold by Google and some would of done so on the back of what was said in 2015 - so there is that whole avenue of debate that may play out legally. So could be something that gets more depth in the comming months.

'Marginal cost' doesn't work like you think it does.

Marginal cost means the cost for adding one new user. But they aren't paying to add one new user. They're paying for all users.

If each user's storage cost 1 dollar a month then yeah adding an individual new user is basically free. But if they're supporting 100 million users then it's a hundred million dollars a month. Which isn't free.

If you still don't quite get it - try this thought experiment. If storage is free then could you afford to set up a storage data centre? If not, why not? It's free after all, in your mind.