Today's the day Microsoft reduces your free OneDrive cloud storage

 

If you weren't on the ball a few months ago, your OneDrive storage space is about to be slashed. Having previously announced its plans to reduce cloud storage for all OneDrive users, Microsoft relented and said those that already had this amount of storage could keep it... but only if they asked for it.
 
Anyone who failed to do so will be ruing the day. Today is the day that Microsoft cuts free OneDrive storage from 15GB to just 5GB -- even less than when the cloud service first launched. In addition to this, the 15GB camera roll bonus has been discontinued. So what can you do?
 
In short, nothing. But if you log into your OneDrive account and find that you still have the full storage quota available, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. The cuts are actually being spread out between July 13 and July 27. Unless you opted out of the change, you’re out of luck.
 
If you need more storage for your photos and other files, there are only really two options available to you now. You can either hand over some cash to Microsoft to upgrade to a paid tier, or you can look elsewhere for your cloud storage needs. The likes of Google Drive could well see an influx of new users as people realize that Microsoft has brought down the axe.
 
Photo Credit: phloxii/Shutterstock
 
~ Mark Wilson

Read More

Microsoft drastically cuts OneDrive storage, free users now get 5 GB

 

Microsoft has decided to drastically cut the storage space offered through OneDrive after a small number of users were caught abusing the service, allegedly backing up more than 75 TB to one unlimited account "in some instances".
 
The storage space reductions have widespread consequences for all OneDrive users. Free users are hit the hardest, with their storage space being cut from 15 GB to 5 GB. This sends OneDrive's free offering below competitors such as Google Drive, who continue to offer 15 GB for free to all users.
 
The camera roll bonus of 15 GB is also being cut, with all changes to free storage coming into effect in early 2016. For anyone using more than 5 GB of free storage at that point, Microsoft will offer a free one-year Office 365 Personal subscription with 1 TB of storage, although a credit card is required.
 
Microsoft is also removing the 100 GB and 200 GB paid plans for new users, replacing them with a single 50 GB plan that will cost $1.99 per month. These changes will come into effect in early 2016, although current paid customers will not be affected.
 
By cutting 100 GB and 200 GB plans, Google Drive once again comes out ahead in storage value, as they offer 100 GB for $1.99 per month, as well as 1 TB ($9.99 per month) and 10 TB ($99.99 per month) plans.
 
For everyone on an Office 365 account, unlimited storage is being replaced with 1 TB of storage, starting immediately. If you're currently storing more than 1 TB in your OneDrive account, Microsoft will notify you, and you'll be able to keep your files stored for "at least" 12 months.
 
Microsoft claims these changes "are needed to ensure that we can continue to deliver a collaborative, connected, and intelligent service", but it's hard not to feel like every OneDrive user is being punished for some users abusing the unlimited storage option.
 
~ Tim Schiesser

Read More

Microsoft offers free 100GB OneDrive space to Dropbox users worldwide

Summary:Microsoft is giving away 100GB of free storage to Dropbox users across the globe, although it's not being as generous with free storage as it has been for US Bing Rewards members.

It's freebie February for Microsoft, which has started dishing out 100GB of free OneDrive storage to Dropbox users across the globe.
 
Microsoft traditionally hasn't been shy about giving away that much free space on its cloud storage service: last February, it began giving away a year's worth of 100GB OneDrive storage. This month, it began offering users 100GB of OneDrive space for two years if they signed up to its Bing Rewards program. However, both offers were only available to US users.

The promotion gives all Dropbox users 100GB of free OneDrive storage for one year. To claim the free storage, Dropbox users will have to sign up to OneDrive after logging into Dropbox. They'll need to save a OneDrive brochure to their Dropbox account before the promotional storage is added to their OneDrive account.
 
If Dropbox users want unlimited OneDrive storage after that, however, they will need to become paid subscribers of Office 365 .
 
While Microsoft's OneDrive launched as a competitor to Dropbox, lately the pair have been collaborating through a partnership struck last year which tightly couples Office with Dropbox. The tie-up allows Office users to access Dropbox from within their Office apps as well as edit Office files from within the Dropbox app.
 
The integration went live for some users last December and also became a headline feature of its Dropbox for Business early access program. As was noted when the partnership was unveiled, Dropbox is host to some 35 billion Office documents.

Since then, Dropbox has launched an app for Windows Phone handsets, addressing a sizeable gap in Microsoft's app store. The cloud storage company has also launched Dropbox Badge to bring new functionality to the collaboration tools available in Office.
 
~ Liam Tung

Read More

Microsoft moves closer to launching free 'Office Online'

Summary: Office Online, Microsoft's rebranded Office Web Apps, are inching closer toward launch.
 
Microsoft is moving closer to relaunching its Office Web Apps offering as "Office Online."

 

Check out the screen shot of Microsoft's "compare" page for its consumer Office offerings. (Thanks to Livesino.net's founder Yan Zhu for sharing the URL.)

 

Office Online is listed prominently as the free option, alongside Office 365 Home Premium (for $9.99 per month) and Office 365 University (for $79.99 for four years). Clicking on the "Learn More" button under Office Online currently takes the user to the Office Web Apps page.

 

Microsoft has offered Office Web Apps -- the Webified versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that work in a variety of browsers -- since 2010. Company officials have had problems explaining to normal users how to find and use these apps. Up until now, Microsoft has touted Office Web Apps more as a feature of SkyDrive, its cloud-storage offering soon to be rebranded OneDrive, and/or as an Office 365 feature.

 

From the chart above, it's clear Microsoft is going to try to make Office Online more discoverable and understandable by the general public. It also seems that Microsoft considers this Office Online rebranding part of Microsoft's next Office wave (codenamed Office 16), give that "O16" is part of the URL path for the new compare site.

 

In related news, LiveSide is reporting on a couple of new features that are likely to be part of OneDrive. According to LiveSide, co-owned folders will be part of the revamped Microsoft cloud-storage service. And Microsoft is planning to make some new "bonus referral" offers available to get more users across all platforms make use of OneDrive, LiveSide said.

 

~ Mary Jo Foley

Read More