Solved Why is SkyDrive free?

[CosmicJest]

I'm just wondering...you can't really get much for free these days - not without a catch, anyway. So how can MS afford to give people 25 GB of free SkyDrive storage? That's a LOT of free storage! What's in it for them? If the uploaded files are encrypted, then there shouldn't be any way MS could de-encrypt them, right? So what benefit do they derive from being so generous?

 

[mindinka]

Good question

Hi CosmicJest!

My understanding is that if you use SkyDrive (I do...) that means simply you are with them right now - right here, which is their plan, not just for now for the future. What is in the future? who knows? Microsoft's brains behind it do know. I believe it's part of the plan to get users attached to them first then make them their Cloud users, because we have been with them, we know them, we trust them...
That's my view... Although I might be completley wrong...

 

[boogieboy]

Well it's Microsoft! They don't have problem of making money

 

[IbanezRG989]

Hi CosmicJest!

My understanding is that if you use SkyDrive (I do...) that means simply you are with them right now - right here, which is their plan, not just for now for the future. What is in the future? who knows? Microsoft's brains behind it do know. I believe it's part of the plan to get users attached to them first then make them their Cloud users, because we have been with them, we know them, we trust them...
That's my view... Although I might be completley wrong...

Pretty much just this exactly. It is to attract people in and get them used to using it before the unveil the next stage

 

[Barman58]

Why is it free - Because others provide it free
Why is it 25GB - Because it's more than the others and storage is cheap at the levels involved
why provide it - to give users a nice warm glow

in other words it's cheap PR marketing ... Microsoft is a business good PR is priceless

 

[cluberti]

Also you'll probably see it heavily integrated with Windows 8, which allows Microsoft to provide a cheap / free bullet point to purchase and use their OS, and it also allows them to tout their cloud storage and performance (which, admittedly, is pretty good already). As previously posted, it's good and cheap marketing, and it seems to work pretty well too at that.

 

[CosmicJest]

Thanks everybody!

 

[arkhi]

Nah, I still believe the government pays them to get OUR data!!! XD

 

[Barman58]

Nah, I still believe the government pays them to get OUR data!!! XD

Sorry thought this was about Microsoft not Facebook

 

[Joan Archer]

Nah, I still believe the government pays them to get OUR data!!! XD

Sorry thought this was about Microsoft not Facebook

:roflmao:

 

[rraod]

During early 2000s, one company XDrive also gave people free space on internet similar to Skydrive. Initially they gave people 5 GB free space on internet and gave 50GB space on subscription service.

I was using the free 5 GB account for some time. Later on AOL has taken over that company in 2005 and has closed that company in early 2009.

Similarly Microsoft may convert this free service to a paid service in future, once people get used to this service.

 

[Windows i7 920]

Nah, I still believe the government pays them to get OUR data!!! XD

Sorry thought this was about Microsoft not Facebook

Lol. I never use Facebook, and I use NoScript to block the Like button scripts, etc. for that reason...

 

[mindinka]

And don't forget...

Google is spying on us...:roflmao:

 

[Imperfect1]

Nah, I still believe the government pays them to get OUR data!!! XD

Actually, my guess is there is some truth to this, and/or Microsoft has more (or perhaps even total) access to our information if it's stored with their company on line.

 

[cluberti]

I don't think Microsoft and the government are on nice terms, even today - you'd find this more likely with someone like Google, who has mysteriously been able to avoid any kind of antitrust investigations. However, I'm not wearing a tinfoil hat, and think such speculation is a bit crazy.