We wrap up our series on WWDC discussing the important announcements on cloud storage.
Apple’s iCloud Drive will be cast into the invisible battlezone of cloud-storage later this year with the release of Mac OS X Yosemite and iOS 8. It ranks among the likes of Google Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive, Dropbox, Amazon’s Cloud Drive, and Box. All of these companies are opting for a name that evokes the function of quick storage. In the conceptual stages of cloud storage technology, Apple made the mistake of launching a premature cloud storage application called MobileMe. The app was basically an integration of Mac’s web-based tools, a way to keep them in track at once on separate devices. It’s release was plagued with an unsuccessful start. A $99 annual fee coupled with service let-downs caused a slight outrage, in some instances a user would be kicked from the site without warning. The development of iCloud followed soon after MobileMe, and they decided to quietly discontinue the latter altogether.
Catch up on the first post in the WWDC miniseries here!
All of the cloud storage services mentioned support iOS, and the iCloud Drive will share the same conceptual abilities as the others: The possibility to backup all file types and access them from any location with internet, all the while syncing the files with devices you use to update your changes so that the file appears how you left it on the last device you used to alter it. So the decision to go “Cloud” with Apple comes down to comparing price and storage space. iCloud Drive isn’t compatible with Android or Windows phones, yet it seems that every other Cloud service is available for Google/Android phones. Windows smart-phones are confined to using Box and Microsoft’s OneDrive, and while iCloud Drive is available for Windows 8 it cannot be used on any previous versions of Windows.
Check out our case study where we leverage the full power of the cloud to provide the Nomly iOS app with a custom CMS!
I’ll begin with Google Drive, seemingly the best priced Cloud Storage service. The only con is that it is only used to share storage space between Gmail, Drive, and Google + photo accounts.
- FREE STORAGE: 15GB
- 100GB : $1.99 per month
- 1TB : $9.99 per month
- 10 TB : $99.99 per month
Box : Mostly for businesses and teams
- FREE STORAGE: 10GB
- 100 GB : $5 per month
- UNLIMITED STORAGE: $15 a month per user
Amazon Cloud Drive : For web use and Amazon’s mobile apps
- FREE STORAGE: 5GB
- 20GB : $10 per year
- 50GB : $25 per year
- 100GB : $50 per year
- 500GB : $250 per year
- 1 TB : $500 per year
Microsoft OneDrive : Aimed at business.
- FREE STORAGE: 15GB
- 100GB : $1.99 per month
- 200GB : $3.99 per month
- 1TB : $2.50 per month for a limited time
Dropbox : Mostly personal file storage, can earn extra free space for referrals and promotions.
- FREE STORAGE: 2GB
- 100GB : $9.99 per month
- 200GB : $19.99 per month
- 500GB : $49.99 per month
- UNLIMITED: $15 per user (a month), limit of five users
Now compare them to the new iCloud Drive rates:
iCloud Drive
- FREE STORAGE: 5GB
- 20GB : $0.99 per month
- 200GB : $3.99 per month
- 1TB : Price unannounced
Each has it’s own attributes but some are more expensive. Microsoft’s OneDrive, for example, features much lower prices and has the advantage of being accessible on almost every popular device including Xbox. Another cloud service with benefits is Box, who offers seven different “permission types” to allow your (shared) files precise accessibility. Make an endeavor to choose the Cloud Storage service that suits you most.
About PixelRocket
PixelRocket builds custom web and mobile applications for startups, enterprises and nonprofits. We also focus intensely on the UI/UX of every application we construct, which means a quicker learning curve and better experiences for your users. For the web, we provide solutions in .NET, PHP, and Java, as well as front end design and development. For mobile, we build applications for Apple, Android, and Windows Mobile. Our mission is give you the tools to succeed, and set your business apart.
