Last week, Microsoft has announced some changes in the plans of cloud storage service SkyDrive. It also introduces some paid plans for new users and launched a desktop app for the service. After the launch of Google Drive, Microsoft do not want to lose market so this is an effort to change plans in order to attract more users.
“Different cloud providers take different approaches. Many promise unlimited storage or big referral incentives to attract enthusiasts – but then have lots of strings attached, which can make the service more confusing and less accessible to mainstream users,” Mike Torres and Omar Shahine, group program managers for SkyDrive, note in a blog post.
Microsoft has now changed the free storage limit which is now only 7 GB. While company offered 25 GB for free before this announcement. And 7 GB is more than enough for most of the users. For those users who require more than the offered for free, they can switch for the paid plans.
“The new SkyDrive offers 7 GB of storage. That’s enough for 20,000 Office docs or 7,000 photos. And unlike before, you can upload big files (up to 2 GB) and automatically sync files or entire folders to SkyDrive right from your PC,” said Microsoft.
Users can upgrade to 20GB, 50GB, or 100GB storage. Prices range from US$10/year (7.5 Euro) for the 20GB plan to US$25/year (19 Euro) and US$50/year (38 Euro) for the other two, respectively.
Those users who already have an account in the Skydrive can opt to keep the 25 GB space that was initially available. Those who already have more than 4 GB data in their account, company has enabled 25 GB for free storage. But new users will only get 7 GB space for free.
Microsoft has also made available the preview version of SKyDrive windows application. This application allows users to view and manage files on their SkyDrive account direct from the windows Explorer. This app supports Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista and is available in 106 languages worldwide. This app is similar to the Skydrive app available in the Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview but not have the metro style look. With this app users can upload 2 GB data in their Skydrive account.
