Google to offer schools, students unlimited storage for free

From CNET: Google will soon offer a big perk -- unlimited data storage -- to lure schools and their students to its Google Apps suite of online services.

The Google Drive for Education is an upgrade from the earlier Google Apps for Education service, and like the predecessor, it's free. It will launch "in coming weeks," Ben Schrom, a Google product manager, said in a blog post Tuesday.

Google Apps combines Gmail and Google Calendar with productivity tools including Docs, Slides and Sheets. Files are synchronized across devices with Google Drive, a brand name that seems to be subsuming Google Apps itself. The products are reached via the Web or apps for iOS and Android, and they're closely linked to Chromebook laptops that run Google's Chrome OS operating system.

Currying favor with schools and their students by offering free or discounted products is an age-old practice for technology companies. Today's students become tomorrow's corporate employees, executives, and IT administrators.

Under the current Google Apps for Education, each user gets 30GB of space, with an upgrade to 100GB costing $5 per month per user. Now Google is waiving both the fee and the storage limit.

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