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   Apple Releases New iCloud Storage Plans

   Adam C. Engst

   In the past, if you wanted more than the free 5 GB of [1]iCloud storage
   for iCloud mail, backups, and documents, you could add 10 GB for $20
   per year, 20 GB for $40 per year, and 50 GB for $100 per year. Those
   prices and storage quantities sound downright quaint today, given the
   forthcoming iCloud Drive that will provide personal cloud storage in OS
   X Yosemite and iOS 8, and the competitive landscape for online file
   sharing services like Dropbox and Google Drive.

   Apple's new plans are:
     * 5 GB for free (no change)
     * 20 GB for $0.99 per month
     * 200 GB for $3.99 per month
     * 500 GB for $9.99 per month
     * 1 TB for $19.99 per month

   [2][tn_new-icloud-plans.jpg]

   You'll be able to upgrade the storage levels from your Mac (in the
   iCloud pane of System Preferences, click Manage Details, and then Buy
   More Storage) or your iOS device (tap Settings > iCloud > Storage &
   Backup > Buy More Storage). However, although Apple's main Web site is
   advertising these plans, they're not currently available, leading me to
   suspect they'll appear sometime before the release of iOS 8 on 17
   September 2014.

   [3][tn_icloud-more-storage.jpg]

   Although these changes are welcome, especially for those who anticipate
   using iCloud Drive heavily, Apple still isn't particularly competitive
   with other major cloud storage providers. Dropbox offers only 2 GB of
   free space to start, but provides ways of increasing that to 18 GB or
   more. In addition, the company's 1 TB Dropbox Pro account costs only
   $9.99 per month. Google Drive provides 15 GB of free space, and also
   offers 1 TB of space for $9.99 per month.

   It's also worth remembering that Dropbox and Google Drive are not only
   cheaper, but far more useful for online file sharing and collaboration.

References

   1. http://www.apple.com/icloud/
   2. http://tidbits.com/resources/2014-09/new-icloud-plans.png
   3. http://tidbits.com/resources/2014-09/icloud-more-storage.png

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