I think the reality is that most cloud customers are approximately consumers. Some big/sophisticated customers may want precise knobs to tune their spend versus

I think the reality is that most cloud customers are approximately consumers. Some big/sophisticated customers may want precise knobs to tune their spend versus "capability" but many businesses just want you to store their data. Pricing models like Glacier's are scary as hell to any CFO, unless they're shown a plan that says "So we're going to save $XXM on this, 100% certain". Adding on your utility company meme, there are different rate schedules for residential and business customers in most places. In Cloud, I think negotiated contracts with advanced customers probably make more sense than complex, unfriendly pricing models for everyone. Big disclaimer: I work on Compute Engine.