Google Risks Consumer Goodwill with Google One

Adam Jiwan, Technology Entrepreneur

Ask any Gmail user about their email service, and you’ll get the same response: for years, Gmail has provided unparalleled storage space (a gigabyte of free storage space when it first launched in 2004) and remains simple and easy to use. 

There’s been no reason to switch services in the 14 years since Gmail was first released by Google, and the more than 1 billion active users of the services are testament to the service’s usability. Run out of space today, however, and you’ll find yourself in a pickle. 

Like most technology users today, you’ll likely find yourself relying more and more on Google for basic tenets of your day-to-day life: the combined storage of the Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos services, while huge, is not limitless. 

That’s why, in March this year, Google launched the Google One storage offering: 2 terabytes (terabytes!) of storage for just $9.99 a month. The offering is twice the space than what the previous premium Drive storage plan offered for the same price, but there is a hitch: it goes against Google’s original value proposition in 2004. 

When introducing Gmail to the masses over a decade ago, Google co-founder Larry Page included this quote in the corporate press release: "Gmail solves all of my communication needs. It's fast and easy and has all the storage I need. And I can use it from anywhere. I love it!" 

Now CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, it is likely that Page is a loyal Gmail user to this day. Has he, too, had to start paying for his monthly storage needs? 

To be fair to Google, the company has raised the limit of data storage for users several times. In 2005, the limit increased 100 per cent to two gigabytes; by 2007, this had been raised to 2.8 gigabytes. In 2011, the limit had increased a full 168 per cent to 7.5 gigabytes. In 2012, Gmail’s storage limit had rounded out at 10 gigabytes, only to jump to 15 gigabytes the following year. 

Now five years since the last data storage boost to Gmail users, and Google’s only option for users to upgrade their inboxes is to reach for their credit cards. 

Sure, the Google One plan is generous: an annual payment of $19.99 will get you a whopping 100 gigabytes, and Google’s plan is no doubt to diversify its revenue streams beyond advertising, which means getting customers to pay up. 

Still, Page’s words in 2004 are pertinent: “all the storage I need.” If Gmail was the brainchild that expanded Google’s offering beyond a mere search engine, it can also be thanked for warming up companies to Google’s subsequent apps and related services. Gmail is a wildly popular service for a reason, but the decision by Google to backtrack on its earlier ideals risks turning the firm’s back on the users that underpinned the giant’s rise to the top.