If one must compare the amount it costs for photo storage from platform to platform, iCloud charges the most while with the new Google Photos, that cost is zero.

If that’s not enough, it’s free on desktop, Android and iOS too where you can store unlimited number of photos and videos with only one condition: video resolution should be 1080P or less or photos that are under 16 megapixels.

gigatech2Of course, if the photos and videos are bigger, then Google will compress them. However, the world’s largest search engine claims that the visual quality stays the same.

If that isn’t enough, you won’t have to worry about saving your photos since the feature of auto-backup is already offered as a feature on its apps.

While almost every other platform is trying to earn money from photos, Google knows fully well that photo storage is a goldmine and is willing to make a long-term investment in such a product as it can be mined for information that can help them personalize services or target ads to its users.

Best part: Google has the tools to mine this information be it artificial intelligence, advanced computer vision, machine learning among other technologies to make clear connections between things, places and people in your photos and your identity.

For example, if your pictures have a product (let’s say, your favorite soda!) that you like, this will determine what it should show you, in terms of ads.

Finally, it’s not just a photo storage product but also offers a feature called the ‘Assistant’ that will not only make movies out of your photos but also can turn burst shots into GIFs and balance out overexposure as well.


It’s clear that with Windows 10, Microsoft is moving towards a very different software model henceforth. Without a doubt, and as an official Microsoft spokesperson put it: the company would release updates gradually instead of these scheduled launches.

Of course, one can only attribute this to the easy availability of the internet for your personal computer. This seemingly big change with Microsoft has been a growing trend as a number of other companies (one being Adobe) release continuous updates for their operating systems, apps and firmware.

gigatech1Speaking of which, Adobe takes advantage of this new style of software distribution by taking monthly subscription fees for access to desktop products such as Illustrator and Photoshop, which is a part of its Creative Cloud model. Apart from this, Adobe has also added a range of supporting services and which includes Creative Cloud syncing cloud storage.

Much like Adobe, Microsoft under Nadella, is clearly towards becoming a services company and with adding Windows into a bundle of services that it offers will only increase the value of the entire move as a whole. Of course, this decision to offer gradual updates will also help them go easy on engineering resource allocation while also keeping up with the rapid adoption curves of new technology these days.

What will be interesting to note is how the sales model shifts as a result of this change given that Microsoft has already announced that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for devices for the first year after Windows 10’s official launch.

Who knows? It might become an integral part of the services bundle that will expand on what Office 365 currently provides.