In light of recent blockbuster, “The Avengers”, it seems only fitting that we retrofit the impending heat between giants Dropbox, Apple, Microsoft and Google in the cloud storage arena with some superhero character.
Captain America (Dropbox)
Dropbox is near and dear to a lot of us because it truly was our first “hero” in the personal cloud space. Launched by two MIT graduates, it was Dropbox’s simplicity and functionality that propelled its success, capturing 50 million users as of October, 2011. Like it’s Marvel counterpart, DB has been tried and tested and has emerged as the traditional product that users can depend on. Although only launched four years ago, it is astutely in touch with user sentiment and has paved the way for other newer cloud storage services.
Superpower Repertoire:
Free storage: 2 GB (up to 18GB with referrals)
Compatibility: Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, Web
Robust mobile apps: iPhone/Android/Blackberry
No desktop client file upload size limit
SSL AES-256 bit encryption
Kryptonite:
Security privacy: user data can be accessed by Dropbox employees (under legal implications)
Expensive (4x more than Drive for 100 GB)
Limited default storage
Paid storage is the most expensive of the bunch
No shared folders with permissions and password
Ironman (Apple, iCloud)
You have to admit, the late Steve Jobs did have a likeness to Tony Stark. And Siri does seem to be a precursor to Jarvis. Apple is the flashy poster child of constant innovation and sleek design. With iCloud, Apple empowers users to instantly sync media files across its suite of devices (and PCs with Windows Vista/7 & the iCloud control panel). The service currently boasts 125 million users.
Superpower Repertoire:
Free storage: 5 GB
Compatibility: Windows, OS X, iOS, Web
Automatic backup for iOS devices
Kryptonite:
File type and size restrictions; free limit: 25 MB, paid limit: 250 MB
Expensive (2x more than Drive for 100 GB)
Caters to Apple products
Thor (Microsoft, SkyDrive)
SkyDrive. Thor reigns havoc from the sky. You get the picture. What makes this comparison more complete is that Microsoft’s cloud storage solution derives much of its power from its version of Mjolnir (Thor’s hammer); its productivity suite. Recent versions of Microsoft office paired with SkyDrive allow collaborative real-time editing and even gives users the ability to embed excel spreadsheets, word documents and powerpoint presentation on web pages (making them fully interactive).
Superpower Repertoire:
Free storage: 7 GB (up to 25 GB for old users)
Compatibility: Windows, OS X, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Web
Integration with Microsoft Office
Inexpensive (cheapest of the bunch)
SSL
Collaborative document editing
Kryptonite
Max file size: 2 GB
No Mac client
The Hulk (Google Drive)
It’s big, scary and at least partially green. Google is a beast that has the power to disrupt a range of industries. Its recent foray into the cloud storage niche seemed a natural step from its cloud office suite. Google Drive, released on April 24 of this year, is a no frills, robust file storage and sync service that integrates with its existing Google Apps platform.
Superpower repertoire:
Free storage: 5 GB
Compatibility: Windows, OS X, Android, iOS, Web
Integration with your Google account
Max file size: 10 GB
Inexpensive extra storage
Deep search capabilities
Image recognition
Paid account = 25 extra GB storage for Gmail
Collaborative document editing
Kryptonite:
New, first generation product
So who prevails?
It’s hard to say. Each of these superhero solutions has its strengths and weaknesses. And ultimately it comes down to who your adversary is. Is it time and budget? Security and privacy? Lack of integration? Lack of collaboration? And we can’t forget the importance of sidekicks. But if we had to put our money on someone, it’d have to be on the green giant, Google. With its array of resources, expertise in data management and commitment to the cloud, Google has the potential to wipe out any of its competitors.
*Throwback alert*
Sources:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/04/cloud-storage-a-pricing-and-feature-guide-for-consumers/
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/24/google-drive-vs-the-competition-dropbox-skydrive-icloud/
http://www.businessinsider.com/fight-dropbox-vs-google-drive-2012-5#
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_online_backup_services#Comparison
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