Apple debuts new 2TB iCloud storage option for $19.99 per month
Answering the call of power users -- and avid iPhone photographers -- Apple on Tuesday expanded its iCloud storage options to include a 2-terabyte tier priced at $19.99 per month.
Apple quietly introduced the new tier as part of an update to its iCloud storage support webpage. As of this writing, the upgrade is live in all North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific regions where iCloud is already available.
With the 2TB option in play, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC users can now choose from four Apple-managed cloud storage capacities: 50GB, 200GB and 1TB. The default allotment granted when signing up for iCloud remains unchanged at 5GB.
Pricing for the 2TB tier comes in at $19.99 per month and Apple is keeping existing plans unchanged at 99 cents a month for 50GB, $2.99 a month for 200GB and $9.99 a month for 1TB.
Apple last updated iCloud pricing almost a year ago when the company nixed a 500GB option and scaled back monthly pricing for its two top tiers. Prior to September 2015, customers subscribed to the 200GB plan paid $3.99 per month, while those opting for a 1TB package paid a monthly fee of $19.99.
Today's expansion comes as Apple builds out a growing online services business, of which iCloud storage is a small part. During Apple's most recent quarterly earnings conference call, CEO Tim Cook said he expects services to generate revenue equivalent to that of a Fortune 500 company by 2017. The sector, which includes iTunes, iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Pay, Apple Care and the various App Stores, brought in a record $6 billion for the June quarter, up 19 percent year over year.
Apple quietly introduced the new tier as part of an update to its iCloud storage support webpage. As of this writing, the upgrade is live in all North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific regions where iCloud is already available.
With the 2TB option in play, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC users can now choose from four Apple-managed cloud storage capacities: 50GB, 200GB and 1TB. The default allotment granted when signing up for iCloud remains unchanged at 5GB.
Pricing for the 2TB tier comes in at $19.99 per month and Apple is keeping existing plans unchanged at 99 cents a month for 50GB, $2.99 a month for 200GB and $9.99 a month for 1TB.
Apple last updated iCloud pricing almost a year ago when the company nixed a 500GB option and scaled back monthly pricing for its two top tiers. Prior to September 2015, customers subscribed to the 200GB plan paid $3.99 per month, while those opting for a 1TB package paid a monthly fee of $19.99.
Today's expansion comes as Apple builds out a growing online services business, of which iCloud storage is a small part. During Apple's most recent quarterly earnings conference call, CEO Tim Cook said he expects services to generate revenue equivalent to that of a Fortune 500 company by 2017. The sector, which includes iTunes, iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Pay, Apple Care and the various App Stores, brought in a record $6 billion for the June quarter, up 19 percent year over year.
Comments
And add to that the ability to selectively sync what gets loaded on the particular PC. I like Dropbox's method of giving the the option of what folders to sync to my computer. I have zero need to download all my photos since the beginning of time, but like that they are stored in the cloud with access via a browser if necessary. I just keep the necessary constantly-used folder synced to my machines.
Try uploading that with 1Mbit/s. Or mobile with a 3GB data plan. (We have no unlimited data plans here in Germany).
Either you guys in the USA have "1GBit upload speeds" at home or I don't know how you upload hundreds of MB of data, with what data plan (with mobile), effectively.
And I buy a 7-800€ phone and I get a measly 5GB of free space to backup what of the 64GB of my iPhone?
I actually turned iCloud backup off it is so useless (error message because I don't have enough space) and slow.
I also read and hear that iCloud services don't work well or miss useful features (see the comment of the links above) and cost quite a bit when you look at the overall picture of buying a phone and a service you use 12 months a year.
When you also start thinking about how much space you realistically need for your photos and videos. E.g. 200GB? well that is 36€/year and covers a fraction of my photo library (let alone the number of days necessary to sync it all to the cloud).
1TB, which would make more sense, is 120€/year - after I already dished out 800€ for the phone I cannot even back up on 5GB.
2TB? 240€/year.... I can buy a couple of external HDD. And a "professional" photographer, doesn't use this stuff for sure.
Apple should start offering at least for free the same amount of storage that your iOS devices (the biggest one) come with. If you have 2 devices with e.g. 16 and 64GB, you should get 64GB of free storage to allow backup and see how features work. I want/need more, I can pay extra.
But offering 5GB, I cannot even turn on iPhoto Cloud Library, let alone sync my 16GB phone (and I have 64GB), useless. And again, with upload speeds in the 1Mbit/s from home (where all my data resides on a Mac), I don't see how I can use them effectively.
Apps and songs don't need backup - sure. But my mail, my Whatsapp chats with hundreds of pics and videos, pics, videos, and so on... those for sure do not add up to 5GB, more 50GB...
As long as they sell 128GB iOS devices at 1000€ and give 5GB for "free" they are ridiculous.